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ANABAPTISTS: 

BEING  AN 

ACCOUNT  OF  THE  PROGRESS 

OF  THE 

FROM  THE  DIET  OF  ^VORBIS 

TO  THE  DEATH  OF  FREDERIC,  ELECTOR  OP  SAXONY: 

COMPRISING  THE  HISTORY  OF  THE 

^S^ikBiLPTISTS,    OR    MEKS^OWITES : 

WITH 

REMARKS    ON    FANATICISM,    RIOTS,     WAR,     OATHS, 

BAPTISM,    THE    SABBATH,    AND 

OTHER   SUBJECTS. 

[The  Twelfth  Volume  of  the  S.  S.  Church  History.] 
BY  HARVEY  NEWCOMB. 


Written  for  the  Massachusetts  Sabbath  School  Society,  and  revised 
by  the  Committee  of  Publication. 


BOSTON : 

MASSACHUSETTS  SABBATH  SCHOOL  SOCIETY. 
Depository,  No.  25,  Cornhill. 


1836. 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1836, 

By  Christopher  C.  Dean, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  Massachusetts. 


CONTENTS 


CONVERSATION    I. 

Page. 

LiTTHER  IN  THE  CASTLE.—He  wntcs  tracts  and  translates  the 
New  Testament, — is  censured  by  the  divines  of  Lou- 
vain  and  Paris, — Henry  VIII.  writes  a  book  against 
him,  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  a 

CONVERSATION    II. 

Carolstadt, — regulations  about  abolisliing  private  masses, — 

the  Anabaptists,— Luther  returns  to  Wittemberg,  2S 

CONVERSATION    III. 

Luther  preaches  at  Wittemberg,— he  detects  the  imposture  of 
the  Anabaptist  Prophets,— Publishes  his  New  Testa- 
ment,—Progress  of  the  Reformation,  -  -         58 

CONVERSATION    IV. 

New  Pope,— Diet  of  Nuremberg,— Death  of  Adrian  VI.,  80 

CONVERSATION    V. 

Critical  state  of  the  Reformation,  after  the  Diet  of  Nurem- 
berg,— persecution  of  the  Queen  of  Denmark, — perse- 
cution in  Flanders,— martyrdom  of  Voes  and  Esch,  9T 


IV  CONTENTS. 

CONVERSATION    VI. 

Luther's  Letter  to  the  Duke  of  Savoy,— Election  of  Clement 
VII., — Diet  of  Nuremberg,— Confederacy  of  Ralisbon, 
— Convention  of  Spires, — Persecution, — Martyrdom  of 
Henry  Muller,     ------       US- 
CONVERSATION    VII. 

The  Anabaptists,— their  War,— Death  of  the  Elector  Fred- 


eric, 


147 


CONVERSATION  I. 

LUTHER    IN    THE    CASTLE. 


He  writes  Tracts  and  translates  the  New  Testament— is  censureii 
by  the  divines  of  Louvain  and  Paris— Henry  VIII.  writes  a 
book  against  him. 

Caroline.  My  dear  mother,  I  want  to  hear 
more  about  Luther.  How  did  he  like  to  live  in 
the  castle,  shut  up  so  ?*  I  should  not  like  to  be 
shut  up. 

Elizabeth.  I  think  all  the  world  would  be 
wondering  what  had  become  of  him. 

Samuel.  And  I  suppose  some  would  think  he 
had  been  murdered  by  the  Papists,  and  others 
would  think  he  had  run  away ;  and  so  it  would 
make  a  great  talk  all  over  the  country. 

Peter.  And  I  suppose  the  Papists  would  be 
very  glad,  if  they  thought  he  was  dead. 

Mother.     Yes,  my  dear  children  ;  the  sudden 

*See  «  TheDaw7i." 


b  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

disappearance  of  Luther  made  a  great  noise,  all 
over  Germany.  It  was  reported  and  generally 
believed,  that  he  had  been  murdered  on  the  way. 
Caroline.  I  suppose  that  made  the  good  peo- 
ple feel  very  sorry. 

Mother.  Yes,  my  dear  ;  the  friends  of  the 
Reformation  were  very  much  cast  down,  with  the 
loss  of  their  leader.  But  the  Papists  boasted 
about  it,  and  hoped  it  would  prove  true.  How- 
ever, many  of  his  friends  thought  that  he  had 
shut  himself  up  at  Wittemberg.  But  you  asked 
me,  my  dear  Caroline,  how  Luther  liked  to  be^ 
shut  up  in  the  castle.  He  was  not  pleased  with 
it ;  and  I  suppose  he  would  not  have  been  satis- 
fied to  stay,  if  he  had  not  thought  it  was  his  duty. 
He  was  an  active  man,  and  he  did  not  like  to  be 
shut  up.  He  was  bold  and  courageous,  and  he 
did  not  like  to  run  away  from  danger.  He  was 
anxious  to  be  with  his  friends,  helping  forward 
the  cause  of  truth.  His  living,  too,  was  too  rich 
ibr  him.  It  injured  his  health.  He  complains  of 
sickness,  and  says  his  mind  grew  feeble,  and  his 
prayers  lifeless. 

Samuel.     Well,  I  think  he  ought  to  have  been 
willing  to  be  any  where,  if  it  was  God's  will. 

Mother.     Yes,    and   I   suppose  he    was.     He 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  7 

called  the  name  of  the  place  where  he  was  shut 
up,  his  Patmos,  after  the  name  of  the  Island 
where  the  Apostle  John  was  banished.* 

Elizabeth.     What  did  he  do  there,  mother  ? 

Mother.  He  did  not  give  himself  up  to  idle- 
ness, because  he  could  not  labor  among  the  peo- 
ple as  he  wished  to  do.  But  he  spent  his  time  in 
writing  books  and  translating  the  Bible.  He  had 
not  been  there  long  before  he  wrote  a  tract 
against  the  abuses  of  private  confession. t  In  this 
little  book,  he  exposed  the  wicked  practices  of 
the  priests. 

Elizabeth.  Mother,  I  have  read  what  is  said 
about  confession  in  the  Great  Apostasy  ;  but  I 
wish  you*  would  tell  me  a  little  more  about  how 
the  priests  managed  it. 

Mother.  According  to  the  laws  of  the  church 
of  Rome,  the  people  must  tell  the  priest  every 
thing  they  have  done,  and  all  their  secret  thoughts 
and  feelings. 

Elizabeth.  I  should  not  like  to  do  that.  I 
should  rather  confess  my  sins  to  God. 

Mother.  It  is  much  better,  my  dear.  If  you 
confess  your  sins  to  God,  he  can  forgive  them ; 

*  See  History  of  First  Christians,  p.  164.    Also,  Rev.  1 :  9. 
t  See  Great  Apostasy,  p.  147. 


8  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

but  the  priests  have  no  power  to  forgive  sins,  as 
they  pretend.  But  this  is  one  of  the  pillars  of  the 
church  of  Rome.  It  gives  a  wonderful  influence 
to  the  priests.  The  Papists  are  taught,  from 
childhood,  to  believe  that  they  will  lose  their 
souls  if  they  keep  back  any  thing  from  their  con- 
fessors. By  this  means,  the  priests  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  secrets  of  all  the  people  ;  and 
these  they  hold  over  them  as  a  rod,  to  make  them 
do  what  they  say.  Besides  this,  if  they  will  not 
mind  them,  they  can  refuse  to  pardon  their  sins. 
The  monks,  in  Luther's  time,  lived  in  the  houses 
of  rich  people,  and  by  becoming  acquainted  with 
their  secrets,  they  acquired  a  great  influence  over 
them.  Then  they  would  contrive  to  be  with 
them  when  they  were  dying,  and  make  them  give 
great  sums  to  the  monasteries,  in  their  wills. 
And  I  suppose  they  do  this  now,  wherever  Popery 
prevails.  But  far  worse  is  the  effect  which  this 
practice  of  confession  has  upon  the  morals  both 
of  the  priests  and  the  people.  When  the  priests 
are  all  the  time  listening  to  the  details  of  evil 
thoughts  and  wicked  actions,  they  become  so  fa- 
miliar with  crime,  that  their  hearts  are  hardened, 
and  their  own  minds  polluted.  It  is  almost  im- 
possible that  it  should  not  be  so.     And  then,  in 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  9 

return,  they  pollute  the  minds  of  the  young,  who 
are  obliged  to  disclose  all  their  thoughts  to  them. 
This  they  do  in  a  very  artful  manner,  when  they 
have  young  girls  before  them.  They  will  ask 
them  indecent  questions  about  their  thoughts  and 
feelings,  till  their  minds  are  polluted,  and  they 
are  prepared  to  become  a  prey  to  the  wicked  pas- 
sions of  the  priests.  In  those  countries  where 
Popery  generally  prevails,  the  abominable  licen- 
tiousness of  the  priests  is  no  secret ;  and  the  rea- 
son why  their  wickedness,  in  this  way,  is  not  gen- 
erally known  in  this  country,  is,  that  it  is  kept 
.secret,  because  they  are  afraid  of  public  opinion. 

Samuel.  But  it  seems  to  me  that  a  worse 
ihing  than  all  this  is,  that  the  people  will  trust  in 
their  confessions,^  and  the  absolution  of  the  priest, 
instead  of  the  merits  of  Christ. 

Mother.  Yes,  my  son,  you  are  right ;  for  this 
leads  to  the  ruin  of  their  souls.  And  this  was 
the  principal  reason  why  Luther  wrote  against 
private  confessions. 

Samuel.  Well,  I  suppose  the  wicked  priests 
did  not  like  Luther's  tract. 

Mother.  No ;  although  he  touched  lightly  up- 
on the  licentiousness  of  the  clergy,  they  were  up 
in  arms  against  him. 


10  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

Peter.  But  what  could  they  do,  mother, 
when  they  could  not  find  him  ? 

Mother.  They  could  only  rage,  and  vent  their 
spite  against  his  books  and  his  followers. 

Elizabeth.  And  did  the  Reformation  go  ou^ 
mother,  while  Luther  was  confined? 

Mother.  Yes;  through  the  influence  of  his 
preaching  and  of  his  writings,  the  truth  had  taken 
deep  root  throughout  many  parts  of  Germany  ; 
and  there  were  many  zealous  men  engaged  in 
promoting  the  cause.  More  than  a  year  before, 
Luther  had  published  a  tract  against  the  abomi- 
nable doctrine  of  the  Mass.*  The  Augustine 
friars  at  Wittemberg  now  ventured  openly  to 
abolish  the  practice  of  celebrating pnt7«^e  masses. 

Peter.     What  is  private  mass,  mother  ? 

Mother.  You  will  see  in  the  Great  Apostasy, 
that  the  Papists  hold  that  the  ceremony  of  cele- 
brating mass,  is  a  real  sacrifice  of  the  body  and 
blood  of  Christ;  and  they  had  introduced  the 
practice  of  saying  mass  for  all  who  desired  it,  to 
enable  them,  as  they  supposed,  to  obtain  whatev- 
er they  wished.  And  this  was  done  by  the  priests, 
without  asking  what  the  people  wanted.  So  if 
a  man  had  lost  money,   or   any  thing  else,  he 

*See  Great  Apostasy,  p.  142. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  11 

would  go  to  the  priest,  and  get  him  to  say  mass, 
to  enable  him  to  find  it.  And  if  a  man  wished 
to  be  successful  in  any  enterprise,  good  or  bad, 
he  would  get  the  priest  to  say  mass  for  him.  So, 
according  to  their  own  doctrine,  they  would 
sacrifice  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  help  people  get 
money,  or  even  to  aid  them  in  acts  of  wicked- 
ness ;  for  a  man  might  get  the  priest  to  say  mass, 
for  the  death  of  an  enemy,  or  for  success  in  steal- 
ing, or  in  cheating  or  robbing  his  neighbor. 

Samuel.  What  abominable  blasphemy,  moth- 
er !  How  could  the  priests  make  the  people  be- 
lieve that  God  would  help  them  do  wickedly  ? 
And  how  could  they  be  so  wicked  ? 

Mother.  When  people  are  under  the  inflaence 
of  superstition,  they  may  be  made  to  believe  any 
thing,  no  matter  how  ridiculous  and  absurd. 
And  we  may  easily  see  why  the  priests  would 
encourage  such  an  abominable  practice.  They 
were  always  well  paid  for  the  private  masses,  and 
it  brought  them  an  immense  revenue.  It  was 
one  of  the  chains  which  riveted  upon  the  people 
the  tyranny  of  the  church  of  Rome. 

Peter.  I  think  Luther  would  be  very  glad  to 
hear  that  the  monks  had  put  a  stop  to  this  prac- 
tice at  Witteraberg. 


1:2  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

Mother.  Yes,  he  was;  and  he  wrote  another 
book,  in  favor  of  abolishing  private  masses.  And, 
soon  after,  he  wrote  another  book,  on  Monastic 
Lwws,^  in  which  he  maintained  that,  when  the 
monks  and  nuns  promise  that  they  will  never 
marry,  such  promises  are  not  binding. 

.Elizabeth.  Was  he  right,  mother?  I  thought 
it  was  always  wrong  to  break  a  promise.  But  the 
promise  of  the  monks  and  nuns  is  a  solemn  oath 
or  vow,  made  in  the  presence  of  God. 

Mother.  Yes,  my  dear  Elizabeth.  But  we 
have  no  right  to  make  a  promise  or  take  an  oath 
to  do  any  thing  wrong.  If  we  do,  we  sin  in 
making  the  promise  or  taking  the  oath,  but  not  in 
breaking  it.  Marriage  is  an  ordinance  of  God. 
He  made  mail  and  woman  to  live  together  :  the 
whole  system  of  monkery  is  opposed  to  the  ordi- 
nance of  God.  The  monastic  vow  becomes  a 
snare  to  the  consciences  of  the  monks  and  nuns, 
leading  them  into  sin.  It  is  taken  under  false 
views  of  duty.  Therefore,  when  their  minds  be- 
come enlightened,  it  cannot  be  wrong  to  break  it. 

Peter.  Then,  mother,  if  I  promise  to  do  any 
tiling  wrong,  I  am  not  bound  to  do  it. 

Mother.     No,  my  son  ;  you  cannot  bind  your- 

*See  Great  Apostasy,  p.  164. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  13 

self  to  do  what  God  has  forbidden.  But  it  is  very 
wicked  for  you  to  make  a  had  promise. 

Caroline.  How  did  the  Papists  like  this  book, 
mother  1 

Mother.  They  clamored  against  it  very  much. 
But  that  was  to  be  expected,  for  monkery  has  al- 
ways been  one  of  the  pillars  of  Popery.*  While 
Luther  was  in  the  castle  of  Wartburgh,  the  di- 
vines of  the  College  of  Louvain  condemned  his 
writings,  and  one  of  them,  named  James  Latomus, 
wrote  a  book  to  defend  their  sentence.  To  this 
book,  Luther  wrote  a  very  able  and  spirited  re- 
ply. But  the  most  important  work  in  which  he 
was  engaged,  during  his  confinement  in  the  cas- 
tle, was  the  translation  of  the  Bible.  He  had  a 
great  reverence  and  love  for  the  Scriptures.  It 
was  God's  word  which  had  opened  his  eyes  to  see 
the  abominations  of  Popery;  and  he  saw  that  the 
Bible  was  what  was  wanted  to  open  the  eyes  of 
the  people.  But  that  blessed  book  had  never  been 
translated  into  the  German  language.  It  was  for 
the  interests  of  Popery,  that  the  common  people 
should  not  read  the  Bible ;  and  so  its  blessed 
truths  were  kept  locked  up  in  the  Hebrew,  Greek, 
and  Latin  languages.    But  Luther  determined  to 

*  See  Great  Apostasy,  p.  95. 


14  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

open  this  precious  treasure  to  the  common  peo- 
ple; and,  during  the  summer  of  the  year  1521, 
while  shut  out  from  the  world,  he  translated  the 
whole  of  the  New  Testament  into  the  Grerman 
language.  He  also  took  great  pains  to  improve 
his  knowledge  of  Hebrew  and  Greek,  so  that  he 
might  be  the  better  prepared  to  translate  the 
whole  Bible. 

Peter.  How  long  did  Luther  stay  in  the  cas- 
tle, mother  ? 

Mother.     About  nine  months. 

Samuel.  I  think  he  was  very  industrious, 
mother,  to  write  so  much,  and  translate  the  New 
Testament,  in  that  time. 

Mother.  Yes  ;  but  besides  this,  he  wrote  a^ 
great  many  letters  to  his  intimate  friends.  These 
letters  express  the  feelings  of  his  heart.  They 
show  his  strong  confidence  in  God,  his  love  to  the 
cause  of  Christ,  and  his  determination  to  hazard 
every  thing  for  the  truth.  While  in  the  castle, 
he  let  his  beard  grow  long,  changed  his  dress, 
and  passed  for  a  country  gentleman,  under  the 
name  of  Yonker  George.  And  he  sometimes 
amused  himself  with  hunting,  in  company  with 
the  people  who  lived  in  the  castle.  That  you  may 
know  something  about  his  feelings,  while  there, 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  15 

I  will  read  you  a  few  lines  that  he  wrote  to  his 
friend  Melancthon :  "I  sit  here  in  my  Patmos," 
says  he,  "  thinking  all  the  day  of  the  wretched 
condition  of  the  church.  And  I  mourn  over  the 
hardness  of  my  heart,  that  I  am  not  dissolved  in 
tears  on  this  account.  May  God  have  mercy  up- 
on us.  For  the  glory  of  the  word  of  God,  and 
for  the  mutual  confirmation  of  myself  and  others, 
I  would  much  rather  burn  on  the  Hve  coals,  than 
live  here  alone,  half  alive  and  useless.  If  I  per- 
ish, it  is  God's  will ;  neither  will  the  Gospel  suf- 
fer in  any  degree." 

Elizabeth.  O  that  was  a  noble  spirit.  How 
I  admire  the  man ! 

Mother.  Rather,  my  Elizabeth,  admire  the 
grace  of  God,  which  raised  up  just  such  a  man 
as  was  needed  at  that  critical  time. 

Samuel.  Mother,  I  should  like  to  hear  more 
of  what  Luther's  followers  were  doing,  all  this 
time. 

Mother.  The  friends  of  the  Reformation  at 
Wittemberg,  were  very  much  discouraged  during 
this  summer.  Their  great  leader  was  absent; 
and  the  Elector  Frederic  and  his  court  were  so 
cautious  that  they  could  do  very  little  to  advance 
the  cause  of  truth.    He  would  not  allow  them  tlie 


16  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

full  privilege  of  publishing  Luther's  writings,  nor 
of  disputing  publicly  upon  questions  which  were 
likely  to  offend  the  Papists.  Luther  was  very 
careful  to  obey  his  rulers,  when  they  did  not  re- 
quire him  to  do  wrong.  But  when  he  was  satis- 
lied  that  they  required  him  to  do  any  thing  di- 
rectly contrary  to  the  will  of  God,  he  made  no 
scruple  of  disobeying  them. 

Samuel.  Well,  I  think  that  was  right ;  for  the 
Apostles  would  not  obey  their  rulers  when  they 
forbade  them  to  preach  Christ.  They  said  it  was 
better  to  obey  God  than  man. 

Mother.  Yes ;  there  is  no  doubt  on  this  sub- 
ject. In  things  which  are  not  absolutely  wrong, 
we  are  in  duty  bound  to  obey  the  laws  of  our 
country ;  and  when  we  refuse,  we  disobey  God. 
But  when  those  laws  require  us  to  do  what  God 
has  forbidden,  or  neglect  what  he  has  required, 
it  is  plain  that  we  ought  to  disobey  them.  For 
instance,  the  laws  of  the  United  States  require 
that  the  post  office  should  be  open  every  day  in 
the  week.  But,  when  the  postmasters  open  their 
offices  on  the  Sabbath  day,  they  break  God's 
commandment,  though  they  obey  the  command- 
ments of  men.  They  do  wrong.  No  human  law 
will  justify  us  in  breaking  the  law  of  God.     So 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  17 

when  Luther  saw  that  the  policy  of  the  Elector's 
court  was  doing  injury  to  the  cause  of  truth,  he 
wrote  to  his  Christian  friends  at  the  University 
not  to  follow  the  advice  of  the  court,  but  to  take 
the  lead  themselves.  At  the  same  time,  when  he 
saw  any  disposition  on  the  part  of  the  people  to 
rise  up  and  maintain  their  rights  by  force,  in  op- 
position to  the  laws,  they  met  with  his  stern  re- 
proof. The  students  at  Erfurt,  with  the  common 
people,  joined  in  a  riot  against  the  clergy,  on 
account  of  the  abuses  practised  by  them.  But 
Luther  wrote  to  them,  saying,  "  It  is  very  proper 
that  the  clergy,  who  prove  themselves  to  be  in- 
curably profligate,  should  be  checked  and  dis- 
couraged ;  but  by  no  means  in  this  way.  This 
manner  of  doing  it  is  a  just  disgrace  upon  our 
Gospel,  and  hinders  its  success.  This  way  of 
showing  kindness  to  us  afflicts  me  exceedingly ; 
for  it  shows  that  we  are  not  yet  worthy  of  being 
esteemed  before  God  as  faithful  ministers  of  his 
word ;  and  that  Satan  makes  a  mock  of  all  our 
labors." 

Elizabeth.     I  like  that,  mother.     It  strikes  at 
the  root  of  fjiob  Imv. 

Mother.     Yes,  my  dear  ;  and  there  is  scarcely 
any  principle  more  important  to  be  embraced  by 


18  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

young  people,  than  that  oi  respect  for  the  laws  of 
the  country.  Within  a  year  past,  the  people,  in 
many  places,  have  taken  the  law  into  their  own 
hands.  When  they  have  supposed  individuals 
have  deserved  to  be  punished,  they  have  gather- 
ed together  in  mobs,  and  taken  vengeance  upon 
them,  without  the  form  of  a  trial.  If  this  princi- 
ple continues  to  be  acted  upon,  it  will  leave  us 
only  the  name  of  liberty.  Our  good  constitutions 
and  laws  will  be  worth  nothing.  We  shall  be  at 
the  mercy  of  a  lawless  mob,  and  have  no  securi- 
ty for  our  lives  or  property.  I  wish  you,  there- 
fore, firmly  to  adopt  this  principle  :  never  tO"  do 

ANY  THING  CONTRARY  TO  THE  LAWS  OF  THE  COUN- 
TRY, UNLESS  THEY  REQUIRE  YOU  TO  VIOLATE  THE 

LAW  OF  God. 

Samuel,  But,  mother,  there  are  some  evils 
that  the  law  cannot  reach.  Is  it  not  better  for 
people  to  rise  up  and  remove  them  by  force,  than 
to  suffer  great  injury  to  be  done  to  society?  I 
have  thought  a  great  many  times  that  it  would  be 
a  good  thing,  if  the  people  in  this  city  would  meet 
and  tear  down  all  the  grog-shops ;  for  they  are 
doing  more  than  any  thing  else  to  destroy  the 
comfort  and  ruin  the  morals  of  the  people. 

Mother.     No,  my  son ;    the  grog-shops  are  a 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  19 

great  evil ;  and  it  would  be  a  very  great  benefit 
to  society  if  they  were  removed.  But  there  is  no 
evil  so  great  as  the  prostration  of  the  laws. 
When  the  people  of  this  country  have  lost  their 
respect  for  the  laws,  our  government  will  be  at 
an  end ;  and  a  despotism  will  rise  upon  its  ruins. 
It  is  better,  then,  to  bear  with  any  evil  in  society, 
than  to  undertake  to  redress  it  by  force,  contrary 
to  law. 

Elizabeth.  Mother,  I  think  Luther's  people 
were  very  sorry  that  he  was  taken  away  from 
them,  so  that  they  could  not  enjoy  his  preaching. 

Mother.  I  have  no  doubt  they  were ;  but  he 
wrote  them  a  long  letter,  full  of  pious  sentiments, 
and  affectionate  feeling.  He  told  them  that  he 
was  sorry  he  was  not  yet  found  worthy  to  suffer 
any  thing  for  Christ's  sake,  but  hatred  and  re- 
proach ;  though,  if  the  Lord  had  not  been  on  his 
side,  he  says  he  should  long  ago  have  been  torn 
in  pieces.  He  praised  God  for  his  goodness  in 
supporting  him,  and  confounding  the  enemies  of 
the  truth. — I  have  often  told  you  that,  though  the 
Papists  had  such  a  multitude  of  priests,  the  preach- 
ing of  the  Gospel  was  almost  wholly  neglected. 
Luther  felt  very  much  the  importance  of  regular 
preaching.     He  had  seen  the  advantages  of  it 


20  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

among  his  own  people  ;  and  now  in  his  absence 
they  were  thirsting  for  the  word  of  God.  To  sup- 
ply their  wants,  he  wrote  a  number  of  familiar 
explanations  of  the  Gospels  and  Epistles,  and  sent 
them  to  Wittemberg,  to  be  printed  for  their  use. 
He  also  requested  Melancthon  to  preach  to  them, 
while  he  was  absent.  Preaching  and  publishing 
the  truth,  and  exhorting  the  people  to  the  dili- 
gent study  of  God's  holy  word,  were  the  means 
upon  which  Luther  depended  for  delivering  the 
people  from  the  darkness  of  Popery ;  and  he  had 
the  consolation  of  seeing  his  labors  more  and 
more  blessed.  The  Augustine  monks,  at  Wit- 
temberg, left  off  the  celebration  of  private  masses, 
and  new  preachers  of  the  Gospel  rose  up,  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  country.  Though  some  per- 
sons of  the  higher  ranks  were  frightened  at  the 
edict  of  Worms ;  yet  the  common  people  gladly 
listened  to  the  pure  doctrines  of  the  Gospel. 

Samuel.  Mother,  1  think  the  common  people 
are  always  more  willing  to  receive  the  truth  than 
the  rulers  and  great  men.  When  Christ  was  in 
the  world,  the  common  people  heard  him  gladly : 
but  the  priests  and  rulers  would  not  believe  in 
him. 

Mother.     Yes,  my  son ;  the  rulers  are  gener- 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  21 

ally  afraid  of  losing  their  authority,  if  any  new 
thing  is  introduced ;  and  priests,  who  get  their 
jiving  by  supporting  a  false  religion,  will  always 
be  opposed  to  a  reformation.  And  the  great  and 
the  fashionable,  the  rich  and  the  worldly,  do  not 
like  the  humbling  doctrines  of  the  Gospel,  which 
place  all  men  on  a  level,  as  lost  sinners,  in  the 
sight  of  God.  But  the  Gospel  is  just  suited  to 
the  wants  of  the  poor ;  and  though  their  hearts 
are  by  nature  opposed  to  it,  they  are  much  more 
likely  to  receive  it  than  the  rich  and  the  great. 

In  the  course  of  this  year,  Nicholas  Hausman 
began  to  preach  the  Gospel  at  Zwickau.  This 
town  was  greatly  blessed  of  the  Lord.  From  the 
very  first,  the  sentiments  of  Luther  were  received 
and  taught  there,  in  private.  And  there,  too, 
Frederic  Myconius,  Luther's  intimate  friend^ 
preached  to  the  people.  He  w^as  a  distinguished 
reformer.  When  he  was  sixteen  years  old,  he 
entered  the  monastery  at  Annaberg. 

Peter.  Why,  mother,  he  was  very  young  to 
be  a  monk. 

*"  Mother.  Yes  ;  but  he  was  very  zealous  in  re- 
ligion. For  honest  people,  Popery  is  a  hard  mas- 
ter. It  lays  heavy  burdens  upon  men's  con- 
sciences, grievous  to  be  borne.     The  monks  and 


•22  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

nuns,  and  the  priests,  are  obliged  to  go  througli 
so  many  ceremonies,  and  to  endure  so  many 
hardships,  that  it  very  soon  wears  them  out,  if 
they  are  honest  in  doing  what  their  rules  require. 
Myconius  suffered  so  much  from  the  practice  of 
Popish  austerities,  and  from  hard  study,  while  in 
the  monastery,  that  he  became  very  weak  in  body. 
When  Tetzel  came  along  with  his  indulgences, 
he  asked  him  to  give  him  one  for  nothing,  as  he 
was  poor,  and  unable  to  pay  for  it.  But  Tetzel 
would  not  do  it ;  and  he  was  led  to  examine  the 
subject  of  selling  indulgences.  He  was  confirm- 
ed in  the  truth  by  Luther's  writings,  and  became 
a  zealous  opposer  of  the  corruptions  of  Popery. 
At  Freyburg,  also,  the  people  began  to  embrace 
the  truth.  John,  can  you  find  Freyburg  on  the 
map  ? 

John.  Yes,  here  it  is,  in  Thuringia.  Who 
governed  this  place,  mother  1 

Mother.  It  was  governed  by  Henry,  duke  of 
Saxony,  and  brother  of  duke  George. 

Elizabeth.  Then  I  suppose  the  reformers  got 
no  peace  there ;  for  his  brother  was  such  a  bit-' 
ter  persecutor. 

Mother.  My  dear,  we  must  not  judge  people 
by  their  relations.     A  very  good  man  may  have 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  23 

a  very  wicked  brother.  Before  the  diet  of  Worms, 
Henry  began  to  show  some  regard  for  the  truth. 
He  was  displeased  with  the  Pope's  bull,  and  wrote 
to  Luther  for  instruction  in  the  truth.  But 
through  fear  of  the  edict  of  Worms,  and  of  his 
brother  George,  he  was  prevented  from  doing  any 
thing  more  for  the  good  cause.  However,  his 
wife  Catharine  was  a  faithful  Christian.  She 
was  in  great  danger  of  being  persecuted ;  but  she 
put  her  trust  in  God.  She  said,  in  one  of  her 
letters,  that  she  was  ready  to  suffer  any  thing 
that  might  happen  to  her  for  obeying  the  Scrip- 
tures. So,  you  see,  the  good  seed  of  the  word 
of  God  was  springing  up  in  almost  every  corner 
of  Germany. 

Samuel.  I  suppose  Luther  rejoiced  in  his  con- 
finement, when  he  heard  that  the  good  cause 
was  going  on. 

Mother.  Yes;  but  several  things  took  place, 
while  he  was  there,  which  were  not  very  agreea- 
ble to  his  feelings.  He  learned  that  things  were 
not  well  managed  at  Wittemberg.  Many  of  the 
canons  of  that  place  disgraced  the  cause  of  the 
Reformation,  by  the  practice  of  Popish  super- 
stitions, and  by  their  vicious,  profligate  conduct. 

Caroline.     What  is  a  canon,  mother? 


24  THE     ANABAPTISTS. 

Mother.  A  canon,  generally,  means  a  law  or 
rule  of  the  church.  But,  it  is  also  a  title  given 
to  a  person  appointed  to  perform  divine  service 
in  a  cathedral,  or  in  a  college  church.— But,  be- 
sides this,  Carolstadt  began  to  make  disturbance 
among  the  Reformers  themselves. 

Elizabeth.  Was  that  the  same  man  that  dis- 
puted with  Eckius  at  Leipsic  ?* 

Mother.  Yes,  my  dear,  he  was  the  same.  He 
was  a  troublesome  man,  as  we  shall  see  before 
iong.  When  these  things  came  to  Luther's  ears, 
he  left  the  castle,  privately,  and  went  to  Wittem- 
berg  to  see  if  he  could  not  set  matters  right. 

Peter,  I  should  think  he  would  have  been 
afraid  to  do  that,  mother,  when  the  Catholics 
wanted  so  much  to  kill  him. 

Mother.  My  son,  he  did  not  stay  in  the  cas- 
tle because  he  was  afraid  of  losing  his  life ;  but 
he  was  kept  there  by  the  Elector  Frederic.  He 
would  no  doubt  have  cheerfully  given  up  his 
life,  for  the  sake  of  the  truth. 

Samuel.  How  did  Luther  find  his  affairs  at 
Wittemberg,  mother  ? 

Mother.  In  general,  he  says  what  he  saw  gave 
him  the  highest  satisfaction.  But  he  was  quite 
vexed  w^ith  the  restless  spirit  of  Carolstadt,  and 

*  See  "  The  Dawn,''  p. . 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  "25 

some  other  friends  of  the  Reformation  ;  and  when 
he  returned  to  the  castle,  he  wrote  and  published 
an  exhortation  to  them,  suited  to  the  circum- 
stances. But,  besides  these  troubles,  the  uni- 
versity of  Paris  passed  a  solemn  censure  upon 
Luther's  writings,  and  condemned  his  doctrine 
as  "erroneous  both  in  faith  and  manners,  and 
proper  only  to  deceive  simple  people."  This  was 
the  oldest  and  most  respectable  university  in  Eu- 
rope. In  1517,  they  had  ventured  to  deny  the 
infallibility  of  the  Pope ;  and  Luther  had  before 
appealed  to  them, 

Samuel.  I  suppose,  then,  he  was  disappointed 
and  mortified  that  they  should  decide  against 
him. 

Mother.  Yes,  I  suppose  he  was.  But  Melanc- 
thon  wrote  a  book,  defending  Luther  against  their 
decision.  Luther,  in  one  of  his  letters,  says,  "  I 
have  seen  the  decree  of  the  Parisian  sophists, 
and  the  apology  of  my  friend,  Philip  Melancthon. 
From  my  heart  I  rejoice.  Christ  would  never 
have  so  completely  blinded  their  eyes,  if  he  had 
not  determined  to  take  care  of  his  own  cause, 
and  put  an  end  to  the  despotism  of  his  enemies." 
But  Luther's  patience  was  also  tried,  during  his 
confinement,   by  an  attack  made  upon  him  by 


26  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

Henry  VIII.  king  of  England.  Henry  was  a 
worldly,  ambitious,  and  wicked  prince;  and  he 
had  been  for  some  time  trying  to  get  the  Pope  to 
give  him  some  honorable  title.  I  suppose  his 
chief  object  in  writing  this  book  was  to  gain  the 
favor  of  the  Pope;  though  he  v/as  a  man  of 
learning,  and  probably  hoped  to  gain  some  fame 
by  writing  a  book.  It  was  presented  to  the  Pon- 
tiff with  great  formality;  and  in  return  for  it  he 
received  the  title  of  Defender  of  the  Faith. 

Elizabeth.  Why,  mother,  that  is  what  the 
king  of  England  is  called  now.  I  should  not 
think  a  Protestant  king  would  hold  a  title  that 
was  given  by  the  Pope. 

Mother.  Worldly  and  ambitious  men  are  not 
very  scrupulous  about  such  things.  If  they  get 
honor,  they  are  not  very  anxious  where  it  comes 
from. 

Caroline.    Did  Luther  answer  the  king,  mother  ? 

Mother.  Yes,  my  dear ;  but  he  did  it  in  such 
a  way  as  to  do  himself  no  honor.  He  treated 
him  very  roughly ;  and  answered  his  book  in  a 
severe  and  angry  manner.  This  was  Luther's 
great  fault.  He  was  very  irritable;  and,  in  his 
controversies,  he  was  greatly  wanting  in  meek- 
ness.    In  his  writings  of  this  kind,  he  did  not 


THE    ANABAPTISTS. 


27 


show  a  gentle,  Christian  spirit.  The  Bible  says, 
"  A  soft  answer  turneth  away  wrath  ;  but  grievous 
words  stir  up  anger." 

Samuel.  But,  mother,  is  it  not  right  to  oppose 
those  who  teach  false  doctrines  ? 

Mother.  Yes,  my  son ;  but  it  should  be  done 
in  a  spirit  of  kindness  and  Christian  meekness. 
Resentment  is  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  the  Gos- 
pel ;  and  when  men  use  angry  words,  and  abuse 
one  another,  while  disputing  about  religion,  they 
do  great  injury  to  the  cause  of  Christ. 

In  the  month  of  December  of  this  year.  Pope 
Leo  X.  died.  He  was  a  man  of  abandoned  and 
vicious  character,  though  he  pretended  to  be  the 
representative  of  Christ  upon  earth.  H^  sent  out 
his  bulls  against  heretics,  while  he  was  profaning 
the  highest  seat  in  the  church,  with  his  profligacy 
and  impiety.  But  we  have  talked  long  enough 
this  evening. 

QUESTIONS. 
What  effect  had  the  sudden  disappearance  of  Luther.-'  What 
did  he  do,  In  his  confinement  t  Can  you  give  an  explanation  of  the 
private  mass?  What  was  the  most  important  work  in  which  Lu- 
ther was  engaged,  while  confined  in  the  castle  of  Wartburg  ?  What 
is  said  of  the  fiiends  of  the  Reformation  at  W^ittemberg?  What  hap. 
pened  at  Erfurt?  What  did  Luther  write  to  the  students  about  it? 
What  happened  at  Zwickau  ?  What  is  said  of  Frederic  Myconius  ? 
Wliat  did  the  University  of  Paris  do  ?  What  did  Henry  VIIT.,  king 
of  England,  do?  How  did  Luther  answer  him? 


CONVERSATION  II. 

Carolstadt— regulations  about  abolishing  private  masses— the  Ana- 
baptists—Luther returns  to  Witteniberg. 

Peter.  Mother,  you  told  us  that  we  should 
see,  before  long,  that  Carolstadt  was  a  trouble- 
some man.  I  thought  he  showed  a  good  deal  of 
courage  in  coming  out  in  favor  of  the  Reforma- 
tion, before  any  body  else  dared  to  favor  Luther's 
opinions. 

Mother.  Yes,  my  son  ;  I  admire  his  courage  ; 
but  he  was  a  man  of  violent  passions,  of  a  turbu- 
lent disposition,  and  determined  to  have  his  own 
way.  I  have  seen  people  of  such  dispositions; 
and  I  find  it  very  uncomfortable  to  have  any  thi^ng 
to  do  with  them.  They  seem  to  care  more  about 
gratifying  their  own  wills,  thaa  they  do  about 
glorifying  God  and  doing  his  will.  If  any  thing 
is  done  without  consulting  them,  and  putting  them 
forward,  they  are  always  finding  fault.  They 
will  run  headlong  in  their  own  way ;  always  get- 
ting into  difliiculty ;  but  if  they  cannot  do  a  thing 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  29 

just  in  the  way  they  think  best,  they  will  do  noth- 
ing at  all.  I  wish  to  impress  deeply  upon  your 
minds,  that  such  a  disposition  is  entirely  contrary 
to  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel,  and  disgraceful  to  the 
Christian  name.  But  such  you  will  find  to  be 
the  disposition  of  Carolstadt ;  and  that  is  the  rea- 
son that  he  made  disturbance  among  the  Re- 
formers. 

Caroline.     What  did  he  do,  mother  ? 

Mother.  While  Luther  was  confined  in  his 
"  Patmos^'  and  the  cause  of  the  rising  Reforma- 
tion was  in  a  most  critical  condition,  Carolstadt 
was  impatient  with  its  slow  progress.  Mistaking 
the  mild  and  peaceful  spirit  of  the  Gospel,  he  un- 
dertook to  carry  things  by  force.  He  collected 
together  a  company  of  hot-headed  young  men, 
and  after  inflaming  their  minds  by  a  violent 
speech,  he  led  them  into  the  gi'eat  church,  called 
All  Saints,  broke  the  images  and  crosses  in 
pieces,  and  threw  down  the  altars. 

Peter.  Well,  mother,  as  it  is  wicked  to  wor- 
ship images,  what  harm  was  there  in  that  ? 

Mother.  My  son,  if  he  had  been  the  pastor  of 
the  church,  there  would  have  been  no  harm  in 
his  ordering  the  images  to  be  removed,  in  a  quiet 
way.    But  this  was  a  church  in  which  he  had  no 


30  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

authority ;  and  the  images  and  crosses  and  altars 
were  placed  there  by  law.  His  proceedings, 
therefore,  were  a  riotous  violation  of  law  and  or- 
der, like  the  mobs  in  this  country  ;  and  very  un- 
becoming a  minister  of  the  Gospel  of  peace, 

Samuel.  Mother,  I  would  like  to  know  what 
it  was  that  led  him  to  these  proceedings. 

Mother.  Caroline,  my  dear,  you  may  read  the 
25th  verse  of  the  11th  chapter  of  Matthew. 

Caroline.  At  that  time  Jesus  answered  and 
said,  "I  thank  thee,  O  Father,  Lord  of  heaven 
and  earth,  because  thou  hast  hid  these  things 
from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and  hast  revealed 
them  unto  babes." 

Mother.  Well,  Carolstadt  thought  this  passage 
meant  that  learning  was  not  only  useless,  but  in- 
jurious to  any  one  who  wished  to  understand  the 
Bible. 

Peter.  Well,  mother,  if  God  will  hide  these 
things  from  the  wise,  would  it  not  be  better  for 
them  to  have  no  learning? 

Mother.  Jesus  was  speaking  about  the  Scribes 
and  Pharisees,  and  the  priests  and  rulers  of  the 
Jews,  who  thought  themselves  very  wise.  When 
people  think  too  much  of  themselves,  God  will 
humble  them.     And  I  suppose   he  did  not  hide 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  31 

these  things  from  them  because  they  were  learn- 
ed and  wise ;  but  because  they  were  so  proud  of 
their  knowledge,  and  supposed  themselves  to  be 
so  wise.  Therefore,  God  revealed  the  knowledge 
of  the  Gospel  to  the  poor  and  ignorant  rather 
than  to  them.  And  so  he  will  always  do.  A 
learned  and  self-righteous  man,  who  is  proud  of 
his  knowledge,  and  unwilling  to  be  taught,  will 
be  much  less  likely  to  embrace  the  Gospel,  than 
a  poor  ignorant  man,  v/ho  feels  sensible  of  his  ig- 
norance. But  that  does  not  show  that  learning 
is  in  itself  bad,  or  necessarily  injurious  to  those 
who  possess  it.  But  Carolstadt  was  so  much  car- 
ried away  with  this  notion,  that  he  went  round 
to  the  poorest  and  most  ignorant  people,  to  con- 
sult them  about  the  meaning  of  the  Scriptures. 
He  lived  in  a  village,  and  employed  himself  as  a 
laborer,  maintaining  that  thinking  persons  had 
no  need  of  learning,  and  that  they  had  better  be 
at  work  than  at  study. 

Samuel.  Paul  did  not  think  so,  mother.  He 
told  Timothy  to  "give  attendance  to  reading;" 
to  "  meditate  upon  these  things,  and  give  himself 
wholly  unto  them." 

Mother.  Yes;  and  Paul  was  a  learned  man 
himself.     But  he  never  wishes  that  he  had  no 


32  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

learning;  and  I  suppose  if  Christ  had  thought 
learning  a  bad  thing,  he  would  not  have  called 
Paul  to  be  a  missionary  to  the  heathen.  It  is 
only  when  we  abuse  learning,  and  feel  proud  of 
it,  that  it  becomes  a  bad  thing  for  us.  But  as 
Carolstadt  was  one  of  the  first  leaders  of  the 
Reformation,  and  a  man  of  some  importance  at 
Wittemberg,  his  example  led  many  of  the  young 
men  to  quit  their  studies  and  leave  the  universi- 
ty ;  and  even  the  boys  in  the  schools  were  affect- 
ed by  it. 

Samuel.  I  think  such  things  would  injure  the 
Reformation,  mother. 

Mother.  They  were  calculated  to  do  much 
injury.  They  produced  the  first  beginning  of  di- 
vision in  the  ranks  of  the  Reformers.  I  have  al- 
ready told  you  that  the  monks  at  Wittemberg 
had  begun  to  abolish  the  private  masses,  and  that 
Luther  was  pleased  with  it.  But  the  Elector 
Frederic  was  alarmed  at  it,  and  sent  a  man  to 
tell  them  that  he  did  not  like  to  have  any  altera- 
tions made  in  the  established  customs  of  the 
church.  The  Reformers  appointed  Justus  Jo- 
nas, Philip  Melancthon,  Nicholas  Amsdorf,  John 
Doltz,  Jerome  Schurf,  and  Andrew  Carolstadt, 
to  examine  the  matter.    They  made  a  written  re- 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  33 

port,  approving  what  had  been  done,  and  exhort- 
ing the  Elector  to  put  an  end  to  the  Popish  profa- 
nation of  the  Lord's  Supper,  throughout  his  do- 
minions. They  told  him,  that,  as  a  Christian 
prince,  it  became  him  to  act  with  dignity  and 
spirit  in  such  an  affair,  and  not  mind  being  call- 
ed Heretic  or  Hussite.  Whoever  faithfully  sup- 
ported the  cause  of  the  Gospel,  must  expect  re- 
proach and  abuse.  And,  as  God  had  been  pleased 
to  enlighten  his  mind  with  a  knowledge  of  the 
truth,  more  than  any  of  the  rest  of  the  princes^ 
they  told  him  that  he  would  be  called  to  account, 
in  the  day  of  Judgment,  for  the  talents  given  him, 

Peter.  I  think  they  were  very  bold,  to  talk 
so  to  their  prince.     What  did  he  say  to  them  ? 

Mother.  He  sent  Professor  Beyer  to  give  them 
his  answer ;  in  which  he  told  them  that  he  wish- 
ed, in  every  thing,  to  conduct  himself  like  a 
Christian  prince.  He  did  not  wish  to  leave  any 
thing  undone,  which  might  promote  the  glory  of 
God,  and  help  the  cause  of  truth.  But  he  thought 
the  alteration  proposed,  was  of  too  much  impor- 
tance to  be  decided  by  a  few.  It  required  the 
mature  deliberation  of  the  whole  church.  If  their 
advice  was  sound,  he  said  it  would  be  followed 
by  others,  and  then  he  might  begin  to  make  the 


34 


THE    ANABAPTISTS. 


change  with  some  prospect  of  success.  But,  as 
many  churches  and  monasteries  had  been  found- 
ed only  for  the  purpose  of  saying  masses,  it  would 
be  a  question  whether  their  revenues  should  not 
be  stopped,  when  the  masses  were  abolished. 
But,  finally,  as  they  did  not  seem  to  be  inclined 
to  take  his  advice,  he  owned  that  he  was  only  a 
layman,  and  not  skilled  in  the  Scriptures ;  and 
therefore  he  entreated  them  calmly  to  consult 
their  brethren,  the  rulers  of  the  church  and  the 
University,  and  so  to  settle  the  business  that  no 
tumults  or  seditions  might  follow. 

Samuel.  I  can't  help  admiring  the  tender- 
ness of  conscience  a:nd  humility  of  this  prince. 
I  think  he  was  very  anxious  to  know  and  do  what 
was  right ;  and  I  like  him  because  he  was  not 
inclined  to  interfere  with  things  that  did  not  be- 
long to  him. 

Mother.  Yes,  my  son;  although  this  prince, 
on  many  occasions,  appears  too  timid  and  cau- 
tious ;  yet,  it  is  very  probable  that  his  extraordi- 
nary prudence  did  as  much  for  the  cause  of  the 
Reformation  as  the  boldness  and  courage  of  Lu- 
ther ;  for  it  prevented  it  from  being  nipped  in  the 
bud,   before  it  had  strength  or  root  to  endure. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  35 

And  I  suppose  it  was  for   this  very  purpose  that 
God  raised  him  up. 

Elizabeth.  What  did  the  Wittemberg  Re- 
formers say  to  his  answer,  mother  ? 

Mother.  They  told  him  that  they  were  still  of 
the  opinion  that  the  private  masses  ought  to  be 
abolished.  This,  they  thought,  might  be  done 
without  tumult  or  danger.  But,  if  it  could  not, 
they  said  the  evil  was  so  great  that  it  ought  to  be 
removed,  without  regard  to  consequences.  Al- 
though the  Reformers  were  but  a  small  part  of 
the  church,  yet  they  had  the  word  of  God  on 
their  side;  and  to  this,  all  ought  to  bow.  From 
the  beginning  of  the  world,  they  said  only  a  very 
small  part  of  mankind  had  acknowledged  the 
truth. 

Samuel.  Is  not  that  true,  mother  1  Is  it  not 
generally  the  case,  that  the  majority  are  on  the 
wrong  side  1 

Mother.  In  regard  to  moral  principles,  and 
practical  questions  of  duty,  it  has  generally  been 
the  case,  that  the  majority  of  mankind  are  on  the 
wrong  side ;  and  I  suppose  it  will  be  so  till  the 
millennium,  when  the  principles  of  the  Bible  will 
be  generally  embraced,  throughout  the  world. — 


36  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

The  Reformers  went  on  with   a  long  argument 
against  the  mass ;  and  then  told  the  prince  that 
if  any  tumults  should   arise  in   consequence  of 
abolishing  the  mass,  they  were  not  to  be  charged 
upon  them,  but  upon  those  persons  who,  for  the 
sake  of  keeping  up  their  dignity,  their  income, 
and  their  luxurious  tables,  continued  to  hide  the 
light  of  the  truth,  and  cruelly  to  wage  war  against 
the  altars  of  God.    But,  if  their  rulers  would  only 
allow   the  word  of  God   to  be  freely  preached, 
heard,  and  read;  even  though  they  opposed  it 
with  all  the   arguments  in  their  power  ;  yet,   if 
they  did  not  inflict  cruel  punishments  upon  their 
adversaries,  there  would  be  no  tumults.     How- 
ever, the   Christian  rule  was,   neither  to  regard 
the  madness  of  the  enemy,  nor  the  greatness  of 
the  danger.     Christ  and  his  apostles  did  not  re- 
main silent,  though  they  knew  the  preaching  of 
the  Gospel  would  be  attended  with  discords,  se- 
ditions,   and  revolutions.      And  they  concluded 
with  seriously  reminding  the  Elector  of  the  words 
of  Christ :  "  Whosoever  loveth  father  or  mother 
more  than  me,  is  not  worthy  of  me." 

Elizabeth.     What  effect  did  this  have  upon 
the  Elector  ? 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  37 

Mother.  I  have  no  doubt  his  serious  mind 
was  much  affected  by  it ;  for  he  let  them  go  on 
with  their  proceedings,  though  he  did  not  sanc- 
tion them.  But  it  wae  just  at  this  critical  time, 
when  great  prudence  and  caution  were  necessa- 
ry, that  the  violent  spirit  of  Carolstadt  broke  out 
in  the  way  that  I  was  telling  you.  He  had  done 
all  he  could  to  bring  learning  into  disgrace  at 
Wittemberg,  where  Luther  and  Melancthon  had 
labored  so  hard  to  advance  it.  He  now  ventured 
to  administer  the  sacrament  publicly,  in  both 
kinds,  to  all  who  chose  to  partake  of  it,  without 
any  regard  to  their  fitness.  The  senate  and  uni- 
versity of  Wittemberg  complained  of  these  things 
to  the  Elector ;  and  he  sent  Commissioners  to 
settle  the  matter,  and  with  the  consent  of  all  par- 
ties, to  make  such  regulations  as  the  circum- 
stances seemed  to  require.  But  they  went  much 
farther  than  he  intended ;  and  he  told  them  they 
must  not  make  him  responsible  for  what  they  had 
done. 

Peter.     What  did  they  do,  mother  ? 

Mother.  They  ordered,  1.  That  all  persons, 
who  gave  evidence  of  repentance,  should  be  ad- 
mitted to  the  sacrament ;  2.  The  Popish  notion 

4 


38  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

that  the  mass  is  a  sacrifice  was  rejected  ;  and,  3. 
The  images  were  to  be  removed  out  of  the  great 
church. 

Samuel.  These  were  no  very  small  steps  in  the 
Reformation,  mother.  As  undecided  and  doubt- 
ful as  Frederic  was,  I  do  not  wonder  that  he  was 
alarmed. 

Mother.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  especial- 
ly as  he  was  a  prince  of  little  power,  who  had  to 
contend  with  the  Pope,  the  emperor,  and  the 
neighboring  princes. 

Elizabeth.  Well,  I  suppose  Carolstadt  was 
satisfied  with  these  regulations. 

Mother.  No,  my  dear,  he  was  far  from  being 
satisfied. 

Samuel.  But  I  don't  see  how  he  could  com- 
plain of  them. 

Mother.  There  is  too  much  reason  to  believe 
that  his  ruling  motives  were  pride  and  self-will ; 
and  I  hope  you  will  hold  up  the  conduct  of  this 
man  as  a  warning  against  indulging  the  same 
disposition  yourself  He  even  told  Melancthon 
that  he  wished  to  be  as  great  and  as  much  thought 
of  as  Luther.  Melancthon  told  him  that  was  the 
language  of  pride,  envy,  and  unchristian  ambition. 
But  Carolstadt  said  he  did  not  care  for  any  body. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  39 

Peter.  Mother,  they  say  "  Don't  care,  was 
Harry's  undoing T 

Motlier.  Although  that  is  a  homely  proverb, 
ray  son,  yet,  nothing  was  ever  nearer  the  truth; 
and  you  will  find  that  this  spirit  was  the  ruin  of 
this  unhappy  man.  He  said  he  would  stick  close 
to  the  Scriptures,  and  no  man  could  be  a  Chris- 
tian, who  found  fault  with  what  he  did. 

EUzahetli.  Well,  did  he  not  do  right  in  stick- 
ing close  to  the  Scriptures  ? 

Mother.  That  was  a  safe  rule,  my  dear,  so  far 
as  he  understood  them.  But  for  him  to  say  that 
no  one  could  be  a  Christian,  who  found  fault  with 
what  he  did,  was  to  make  himself  infallible,  like 
the  Pope.  When  any  one  begins  to  think  that 
he  is  so  guided  by  the  Bible  or  the  Spirit  of  God 
that  he  cannot  do  wrong,  he  is  sure  to  run  into 
extravagant  notions,  and  bring  disgrace  upon  true 
religion.  It  would  not  be  profitable  to  us,  to 
spend  our  time  in  following  out  ^the  history  of 
Carolstadt.  It  is  sufficient  to  say  that  his  bad 
temper  and  his  violent  measures  brought  him  in- 
to difficulty,  wherever  he  went.  He  raised  tu- 
mults among  the  people,  and  became  so  trouble- 
some, at  last,  that  the  Elector  banished  him  from 
his  dominions.     He  wandered  from  one  place  to 


40  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

another,  till,  in  the  time  of  the  war  of  the  peasants, 
his  character  for  raising  tumults  made  him  sus- 
pected of  being  concerned  with  them ;  and  he 
was  reduced  to  great  extremities.  But  through 
the  entreaties  of  Luther,  with  w^om  he  had  quar- 
relled, he  was  allowed  to  return,  and  live  in  a 
little  village  near  Wittemberg.  He  made  a  pub- 
lic recantation  of  his  sentiments,  and  lived  in  pri- 
vate. In  the  history  of  this  man,  you  see  the  con- 
sequences of  a  bad  temper.  If  you  wish  to  do 
any  good  in  the  world,  or  to  make  yourselves 
agreeable  to  others,  subdue  the  first  risings  of 
stubbornness,  self-will,  impatience,  and  anger. 
Watch  against  a  headstrong,  overbearing  spirit. 
Cultivate  a  patient,  meek,  quiet,  kind,  forbearing, 
orderly  disposition.  On  this,  greatly,  depends 
your  usefulness  and  comfort.  Especially,  my 
dear  Samuel,  if  you  intend  to  be  a  missionary  to 
the  heathen,  you  will  need  all  these  qualities ; 
and  nothing  \\i\\  make  you  so  unfit  for  a  mission- 
ary as  a    BAD  TEMPER. 

Samuel.  Did  Luther  know  what  was  going  on 
at  Wittemberg,  mother  ? 

Mother.  He  soon  heard  of  it,  and  wrote  to  the 
Elector  of  Saxony  about  it.  "  There  is  no  rea- 
son," said  he,   "to  be  frightened.     Rather  give 


THE    ANABAPTISTS,  41 

praise  to  God,  and  rejoice  in  the  certainty  that 
all  will  end  well.  Things  of  this  kind  al- 
ways happen  to  those  who  undertake  to  spread 
the  Gospel.  We  must  not  only  expect  Annas 
and  Caiaphas  to  rage  against  us;  but  even  a  Ju- 
das to  appear  among  the  apostles,  and  Satan  him- 
self among  the  sons  of  God.  Be  wdse,  and  look 
deeper  than  to  the  outward  appearances.  Don't 
be  afraid  ;  but  be  prepared  for  more  events  of 
this  sort.  Satan  means  to  carry  things  much 
farther  yet.  Let  the  world  clamor  against*  us. 
Be  not  so  much  concerned  at  the  falling  away  of 
particular  Christians.  Even  Peter  fell.  As  Paul 
says,  we  must  now  '  approve  ourselves,  as  the 
ministers  of  God,  in  much  patience,  in  imprison- 
ments, in  tumults,  in  labors.'  " 

Elizabeth.  O,  mother,  I  can  see  the  spirit  of 
Luther  there. 

Mother.  Yes ;  his  bold  and  persevering  spir- 
it, and  his  strong  faith,  are  manifest  in  this  let- 
ter. He  concluded  with  an  earnest  request  for 
leave  to  print  and  circulate  his  own  writings  ; 
and  told  the  Elector  that  he  would  soon  be  at 
Wittemberg. 

John.  How  did  Frederic  feel  when  he  read 
this  letter,  mother  ? 


42  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

Mother.  He  was  deeply  affected ;  and  imme- 
diately sent  a  trusty  person  to  tell  him  all  that 
had  happened  at  Wittemberg :  how  the  students 
dwindled  in  number,  how  anxious  the  prince  was, 
and  how  much  in  doubt  about  what  he  ought  to 
do.  He  said  that  nothinor  was  so  distressing  to 
his  mind,  as  the  prospect  of  seditious  tumults : 
and  that  the  Emperor  had  tied  up  his  hands,  so 
that  he  could  not  do  what  he  would  for  the  cause 
of  truth.  The  bishops  had  also  promised  that 
they  would  preach  the  Gospel  themselves,  and  ap- 
point missionaries  to  do  the  same  ;  and  it  was  im- 
possible for  him  to  oppose  them.  He  wished 
very  much  to  have  Luther's  advice,  at  such  a 
critical  time,  but  told  him  not  to  think  of  coming 
to  Wittemberg ;  for  the  Pope  and  Emperor  would 
insist  on  his  being  delivered  up  to  them,  and  the 
Elector  could  not  prevent  it.  That  would  be  the 
severest  stroke  that  could  happen  to  the  prince. 
He  had  never  undertaken  to  do  any  more  for  Lu- 
ther, he  said,  than  to  give  him  a  fair  hearing; 
and  that  was  all  that  was  in  his  power  to  do.  But 
one  thing  he  was  determined  :  If  he  could  but 
find  what  was  the  will  of  God,  he  would  doit, 
let  it  cost  what  it  might.  He  remembered  that 
Christ  had  said,  "My  yoke   is  easy  and  my  bur- 


THE    ANABAPTISTS. 


43 


den  is  light;"  and  he  would  willingly  bear, 
through  the  divine  strength  and  help,  the  cross 
that  God  should  lay  upon  him.  New  sects,  he 
said,  arose  at  Wittemberg,  every  day ;  and  it  was 
hard  to  tell  what  might  happen.  The  Diet  was 
soon  to  meet  at  Nuremberg,  when  it  w^as  expect- 
ed that  much  would  be  said  and  done  about  Lu- 
ther's case.  The  prince  thought  he  had  better 
remain  in  secret  for  the  present.  There  were 
revolutions  at  hand;  and  if  it  should  turn  out 
that  the  Gospel  should  be  hindered,  it  would  be 
a  great  grief  to  him.  Finally,  the  Elector  gave 
Luther  the  most  kind,  faithful,  and  affectionate 
assurances  of  his  friendship. 

Elizabeth.  Mother,  I  like  Frederic  better  and 
better,  the  more  I  hear  of  him.  He  seems  to 
have  such  a  tender  conscience,  and  to  be  so 
much  afraid  of  doing  wrong. 

MotTier.  Yes;  I  admire  his  character  very 
much;  though  I  think  he  did  not  trust  in  God 
enough,  and  was  influenced  too  much  by  the  fear 
of  man.  However,  he  v/as  placed  in  difficult 
circumstances,  just  at  the  dawn  of  the  Reforma- 
tion, when  the  cause  was  weak,  and  opinions 
were  unsettled,  and  he  found  it  no  very  easy 
matter  to  determine  what  he  ought  to  do.     But, 


44  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

now,  a  new  sect  arose,  which  threatened  still 
more  serious  injury  to  the  infant  cause  of  the 
Reformation,  than  any  thing  that  had  happened 
before. 

Caroline.     What  were  they  called,  mother? 

Mother.  They  were  called  Anabaptists ;  which 
signifies  that  those  who  have  been  baptized  in  in- 
fancy, ought  to  be  baptized  over  again. 

Peter.     Were  they  Baptists,  then  ? 

Mother.  They  held  the  same  views  of  bap- 
tism as  the  Baptists  of  the  present  day ;  but  they 
were  not  like  them  in  any  thing  else.  This  sect 
sprung  up,  about  the  same  time,  in  various  parts 
of  Europe.  Their  principal  leaders,  in  Saxony, 
were  Nicholas  Stork,  Mark  Stubner,  Martin  Cel- 
lary,  and  Thomas  Munzer.  Stork  was  a  baker, 
of  Zwickau.  He  chose  twelve  persons  from 
among  his  acquaintances,  of  the  same  trade,  call- 
ing them  apostles ;  and  also,  seventy  disciples,  in 
imitation  of  Christ..  The  other  three,  in  a  dis- 
orderly and  tumultuous  manner,  spoke  to  the  peo- 
ple in  the  church.  Nicholas  Hausman,  the  pious 
pastor  of  the  church,  opposed  them ;  but  they 
would  have  their  own  way.  They  said  they  had 
a  divine  commission,  and  that  they  were  inspired, 
and  saw  visions.    Melancthon  wrote  to  the  Elector 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  45 

about  them.  He  says,  ''  three  of  them  have  come 
to  Wittemberg.  Two  of  them  are  ignorant  me- 
chanics. The  other  is  a  man  of  learning.  I 
have  given  them  a  hearing.  They  say  they  are 
positively  sent  of  God  to  teach ;  that  they  talk 
with  him  face  to  face  ;  that  they  can  foretell  fu- 
ture events ;  and  that  they  are  on  a  footing  with 
prophets  and  apostles.  I  cannot,  tell  how  I  am 
moved  by  these  lofty  pretensions.  I  see  strong 
reasons  for  not  despising  these  men:  for  it  is 
clear  to  me  there  is  something  more  in  them  than 
a  mere  human  spirit :  but  whether  the  spirit  be 
of  God  or  not,  none  but  Martin  can  easily  judge. 
Therefore,  for  the  peace  of  the  church,  I  think 
Martin  should,  by  all  means,  have  an  opportuni- 
ty of  examining  them ;  especially  as  they  appeal 
to  him." 

Elizabeth.  It  is  very  strange,  mother,  that 
Melancthon  did  not  see  through  th^ir  pretensions. 
What  did  the  Elector  say  to  his  letter  ? 

Mother.  You  have  often  seen  that  Frederic 
did  not  think  himself  capable  of  deciding,  in  such 
cases.  He  was  very  careful,  however,  never  to 
act  hastily ;  for  he  was  afraid  of  doing  wrong. 
And  in  that  respect,  his  conduct  is  well  worthy 
of  imitation.     He   called  in  some   of  his   most 


46 


THE    ANABAPTISTS. 


learned  friends,  and  asked  their  advice.  But 
they  could  come  to  no  decision.  They  felt  the 
same  doubts  which  Melanct.hon  had  expressed. 
They  were  afraid  of  sinning  against  God,  by  con- 
demning his  best  servants.  But  now  Frederic 
astonished  them  all.  "  This  is  a  most  weighty 
and  difficult  case,"  said  he,  "  which  I,  as  a  lay- 
man, do  not  comprehend.  If  I  could  clearly  see 
my  duty,  most  certainly  I  would  not  knowingly 
resist  the  will  of  Almighty  God:  no;  rather  than 
do  that,  though  God  hath  given  me  and  my  broth- 
er a  considerable  share  of  power  and  wealth,  I 
would  take  jny  staff  and  quit  every  thing  I  pos- 
sess." 

Samuel.    Was  not  that  a  pious  feeling,  mother  ? 

MotJiei'.  Yes,  my  son  ;  that  is  the  state  of  feel- 
ing we  ought  always  to  maintain ;  and  I  think 
the  evidences  of  pious  feeling,  in  the  heart  of 
Frederic,  grow  stronger,  as  he  grows  older. 

Elizabeth.  Still,  mother,  1  think  it  strange 
that  he  should  be  so  much  in  doubt  about  the 
character  of  these  pretended  prophets. 

Mothei'.  We  must  consider,  my  dear,  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  times.  Most  men  were  ig- 
norant of  the  true  principles  of  the  Gospel ;  and 
the  church  of  Rome  holds  the  opinion  that  mira- 


THE    ANABAPTIST?.  47 

cles,  and  the  spirit  of  inspiration  and  prophecy, 
still  continue  in  the  church.  It  is  not  then  to  be 
wondered  at,  that  a  man  of  Frederic's  cautious 
spirit,  should  have  been  in  doubt  about  these  men. 

Elizabeth.  But,  I  am  at  a  loss  to  think  how 
the  doctrines  Luther  preached,  could  be  the 
means  of  starting  up  such  a  wild  sect  as  that ; 
for  the  great  thing  for  which  he  contended,  was 
that  every  thing  should  be  decided  by  the  word 
of  God. 

3IotIier.  Here  you  may  learn  a  very  important 
principle,  which  I  hope  you  will  remember  : 
The  propagation  of  correct  principles,  and  the 
progress  of  a  good  cause,  may,  through  the  loeak- 
ness  of  human  nature,  and  the  wicked  passions  of 
men,  become  the  occasion  of  much  evil.  Before 
the  Reformation,  the  minds  of  men  were  torpid 
and  inactive,  under  the  load  of  spiritual  tyranny 
with  which  they  were  oppressed.  But  when  the 
true  principles  of  Reform  began  to  take  root, 
they  were  roused  to  action.  They  shook  off  the 
superstitious  fear  which  had  prevented  them  from 
thinking  upon  religious  subjects ;  yet  they  were 
too  ignorant  fully  to  understand  the  doctrines  of 
the  Gospel.  In  the  midst  of  these  agitations,  it 
is  not  surprising  that  some  men  should   run  out 


48  THE     ANABAPTISTS. 

into  wild  and  extravagant  notions.  There  is  in 
the  human  mind  a  strong  tendency  to  extremes. 
And  when  it  shakes  off  the  bondage  of  super- 
stition in  which  it  has  long  been  held,  and  yet 
is  not  restrained  by  the  principles  of  true  religion, 
it  is  like  a  ship  on  the  ocean  tossed  by  the  waves, 
without  any  thing  to  guide  it. 

Elizabeth.  Then,  mother,  I  should  think 
reformations  would  be  dangerous. 

Mother.  But,  my  dear,  the  mischiefs  of  this 
kind,  which  attend  Reformations  and  revolutions, 
are  not  to  be  compared  with  the  evils  of  error 
and  superstition,  tyranny  and  oppression.  When 
efforts  are  made  to  reform  society,  and  overcome 
great  moral  evils,  as  soon  as  there  is  any  excite- 
ment, and  the  angry  passions  of  men  are  stirred 
up  to  opposition,  many  are  ready  to  cry  out 
against  those  who  are  making  these  efforts,  as  dis- 
turbers of  the  peace ;  and  to  condemn  the  cause 
in  which  they  are  engaged,  as  chargeable  with 
all  the  excesses  committed  by  wild  enthusiasts  in 
supporting  it,  or  wicked  men  in  opposing  it. 
Even  Revivals  of  Religion  are  by  some  con- 
demned, as  false  and  spurious,  because  there 
have  been  some  excesses  connected  with  them, 
or  because  the  passions  of  wicked  men  may  have 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  49 

been  roused  by  them  to  more  open  and  hardened 
opposition  to  the  truth.  But,  on  the  same  prin- 
ciple, they  might  condemn  the  conduct  of  Luther 
and  the  other  Reformers,  and  charge  them  with 
all  the  turbulence  of  Carolstadt,  with  the  wild 
fanaticism  of  the  Anabaptists,  and  even  with  the 
persecution  of  the  Papists. 

Samuel.  Yes,  mother ;  and  on  the  same  prin- 
ciple, we  must  charge  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  with 
the  anger  and  blasphemy  of  the  Jews,  stirred  up 
by  his  preaching ;  or  even  with  his  own  murder. 

Mother.  Yes;  and  Paul  might  be  charged 
with  the  great  tumult  at  Ephesus.  Indeed,  there 
is  no  end  to  the  absurdities  involved  in  carrying 
out  this  principle. 

Elizabeth.  But  when  we  are  talking  about 
the  persecutions  of  the  Papist^,  you  charge  it  all 
upon  the  church  of  Rome.  How  can  that  be 
right,  if  we  are  not  to  make  men  responsible  for 
the  consequences  of  their  principles  and  actions  ? 

Mother.  Here,  my  dear,  you  discover  a  want 
of  discrimination.  When  we  can  show  that  any 
system  is  wrong  in  itself,  and  that  the  natural 
and  necessary  effect  of  its  principles  is  to  produce 
mischief  in  society,  then  we  may  safely  charge 
the  consequences  which  follow,  upon  the  system 


50  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

itself.  This  is  the  case  with  tlie  principles  of  the 
church  of  Rome.  Their  necessary  tendency  is 
to  enslave  the  mind,  and  produce  tyranny  and 
persecution.  But  it  is  not  so  with  tlie  doctrines 
of  the  Reformation.  Their  tendency  was  good; 
it  was  their  abuse,  only,  that  produced  mischief 
And  so  it  is  with  Revivals  of  Religion.  Their 
tendency  is  to  bring  about  a  thorough  reforma- 
tion in  the  characters  of  men ;  and  because  Sa- 
tan sometimes  takes  the  advantage  of  the  excite- 
ment in  which  they  are  produced,  to  lead  men 
into  excesses  and  extravagances,  we  are  not  to 
conclude  that  they  are  wrong  in  themselves;  nor 
are  we  to  condemn  particular  Revivals  as  spurious 
and  false,  because  these  things  attend  them. 
This  would  lead  us,  on  the  same  principle,  to 
condemn  the  Reformation,  because  the  Anabap- 
tists sprung  up  in  the  midst  of  it;  and  even  to 
condemn  the  excitement  on  the  day  of  Pentecost, 
because  some  men  mocked. 

Petej'.  Well,  mother,  what  was  done  with 
these  prophets,  at  last? 

Mother,  Melancthon  told  the  Elector,  again, 
that  no  person  could  manage  this  business  so 
well  as  Luther ;  and  urged  him  to  call  in  the  aid 
of  his  judgment.    But  Frederic  pursued  his  usual 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  51 

cautious  course.  He  told  Melancthon  to  avoid 
disputes  with  these  men ;  but  to  use  every  means 
in  his  power  to  prevent  such  tumults  as  had  hap- 
pened at  Zwickau.  He  said  he  was  himself  no 
interpreter  of  the  Holy  Scriptures ;  and  he  did 
not  know  whom  he  ought  to  appoint  to  examine 
this  matter ;  but  it  was  impossible  to  bring  Lu- 
ther to  Wittemberg  without  grea.t  danger  to  his 
person.  But  in  regard  to  the  Anabaptists,  if  he 
could  but  see  clearly  what  justice  required,  he 
was  ready  to  do  his  duty,  at  every  hazard. 
While  things  remained  in  this  state  of  doubt  and 
uncertainty,  Melancthon  employed  persons  to  get 
all  the  information  they  could  about  the  new 
sect;  but  at  the  same  time,  he  entertained  Stub- 
ner,  who  was  a  man  of  learning,  and  treated  him 
with  kindness. 

Caroline.  Did  Luther  hear  about  the  proph- 
ets, mother  1 

Mother.  Yes ;  and  he  wrote  to  Melancthon, 
and  told  him  that  he  was  too  timid  in  regard  to 
the  prophets.  He  ought  to  try  the  spirits,  ac- 
cording to  John's  advice.  "  I  hear  of  nothing 
said  or  done  by  them,"  said  he,  "  more  than  Sa- 
tan could  do.  I  wish  you  would  examine  and 
see  whether  they  can  give  any  proof  of  a  divine 


52  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

commission.  God  never  sent  any  prophet,  who 
was  not  either  called  by  proper  pe^ons,  or  au- 
thorized by  special  miracles.  For  them  to  say 
that  they  have  the  spirit  of  God  is  not  enough. 
Then  I  wish  you  to  sift  their  private  spirit  See 
whether  they  have  had  any  inward  distresses  of 
soul,  sorrow  for  sin,  and  the  comforts  of  the  new 
birth.  If  you  hear  nothing  from  them  but  smooth, 
tranquil,  religious  contemplations,  be  sure  there 
is  wanting  the  Cross,  the  only  touch-stone  of 
Christians.  Would  you  know  the  place,  the 
time,  the  manner,  of  divine  conferences  and  com- 
munications? Hear  the  written  word;  *^ As  a 
lion  will  he  break  all  my  bones."*  The*  majesty 
of  the  Divine  Being  speaks  not  immediately,  in  a 
way  that  men  should  see  Him.  None  can  see 
Him  and  live. 

Samuel.  Mother,  it  seems  to  me,  if  I  had 
been  Luther,  I  would  have  come  to  Wittemberg, 
at  the  risk  of  my  life  ;  for  the  cause  of  the  Refor- 
mation was  suffering  so  much  for  want  of  him. 

Mother.  Well,  my  son,  Luther  thought  so; 
and  he  determined,  at  once,  to  leave  his  castle, 
and  go  where  he  was  so  much  needed.  While 
on  the  road  to  Wittemberg,  he    wrote   to   the 

*  Isa.  3&:  13. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  53 

Elector,  and  told  him  that  what  he  had  heard 
from  Wittemberg  brought  him  almost  to  a  state 
of  despair.  He  had  not  yet  suffered  any  thing 
worth  speaking  of  He  could  not  lament  enough 
the  tumultuous  proceedings  which  had  taken 
place.  The  Gospel  was  in  great  danger  of  being 
disgraced  from  this  cause.  With  regard  to  him- 
self, he  said  all  his  hope  and  confidence  rested 
entirely  upon  the  justice  of  his  cause.  The  Gos- 
pel which  he  preached  was  not  a  device  of  his 
own.  It  was  a  heavenly  gift,  from  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord.  He  was  therefore  a  servant  of  Christ, 
and  a  teacher  of  the  Gospel ;  and  he  intended,  in 
future,  to  go  by  no  other  name.  In  returning  to 
Wittemberg,  he  considered  himself  to  be  under 
a  far  more  powerful  protection  than  the  Elector 
of  Saxony  could  afford  him.  He  did  not  wish  to 
be  protected  by  the  prince.  He  thought,  rather, 
that  Frederic  would  receive  support  and  protec- 
tion from  the  progress  of  Luther,  and  the  good 
cause  in  which  he  was  engaged.  "  It  is  a  cause," 
said  he,  "  which  does  not  call  for  the  help  of  the 
sword.  God  himself  will  take  cere  of  it.  If  I 
knew  your  highness  intended  to  defend  me  by  the 
sword,  I  positively  declare  I  would  not  return  to 

Wittemberg.     This  is  a  case  vvdiere  God   alone 

5 


54  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

should  direct.  Men  should  stand  still  and  wait 
the  event  without  anxiety.  And  that  man  will 
be  found  to  defend  himself  and  others  most  brave- 
ly, who  has  the  firmest  confidence  in  God.  Your 
highness  has  but  a  very  feeble  reliance  on  God; 
and  for  that  reason  I  cannot  think  of  resting  my 
defence  and  hopes  of  deliverance  on  you.  Still, 
you  wish  to  know  what  your  duty  is  in  this  busi- 
ness ;  and  you  fear  that  you  have  not  been  suf- 
ficiently active.  My  answer  is,  that  you  have  al- 
ready done  TOO  much,  and  that,  at  present,  you 
ought  to  do  nothing.    God  does  not  allow  that 

EITHER  YOUR  HIGHNESS  OR  MYSELF  SHOULD  DE- 
FEND THE  CAUSE  OF  TRUTH  BY  FORCE." 

Samuel.  I  am  glad  to  hear  that,  mother ;  for 
I  have  often  heard  the  Reformers  accused  of  per- 
secuting those  who  differed  from  them,  as  bad  as 
the  Papists  did. 

blather.  I  know  they  are  often  accused  of  it ; 
and  it  is  true,  that  in  some  instances,  they  were 
guilty  of  persecution.  But,  in  relation  to  these 
few  cases,  several  things  are  to  be  considered : 
1.  They  are  exceptions  to  the  general  conduct  of 
the  Protestants.  No  one  can  say  that  they  have 
generally  manifested  a  persecuting  spirit.  2.  It 
was  a  long  time   after  the  commencement  of  the . 


THE    ANABAPTISTS. 


55 


Reformation  before  the  subject  of  religious  liber- 
ty began  to  be  understood ;  and  longer  still  be- 
fore the  Protestants  began  to  see  the  evils  of  the 
Union  of  Church  and  State ;  or  the  establishing 
of  religion  by  law.  The  fact  is,  where  religion 
is  established  by  law,  it  is  impossible  that  there 
should  not  be  persecution.  Where  there  is  an 
established  religion,  the  confession  of  faith,  and 
the  form  of  government,  and  ceremonies  of  ^vor- 
ship,  must  be  established  by  law ;  and  then  it 
follows,  of  course,  that  those  who  presume  to 
think  and  act  for  themselves,  must  be  punished ; 
or,  at  least,  they  must  be  deprived  of  some  privi- 
leges, and  contribute  to  the  support  of  principles 
which  they  cannot  adopt.     Religious  liberty 

CANNOT    BE    ENJOYED    WHERE     ANY    RELIGION    IS 

established  by  LAW.  3.  Although  the  Pro- 
testants have,  in  some  instances,  been  guilty  of 
persecution,  it  cannot  be  shown  that  the  general 
principles  of  the  Reformation  justify  persecution. 
It  was  the  remains  of  Popery,  which  led  the  Re- 
formers sometimes  to  persecute  those  who  differ- 
ed from  them.  But  they  do  not  lay  claim  to  in- 
fallibility ;  and  most  Protestant  denominations, 
now,  disapprove  the  use  of  force  in  religious  mat- 
ters.    But  Popery,   you  know,  is  and  must  be, 


56  THE     ANABAPTISTS. 

always  the  same ;  because  the  Church  of  Rome 
claims  to  be  infallible,  and  incapable  of  doing 
wrong ;  and  as  they  have  always  been  a  perse- 
cuting church,  wherever  they  have  had  the  pow- 
er, it  must  follow  that  persecution,  or  making  m.en 
Papists  by  force,  is  one  of  the  unalterable  princi- 
ples of  that  church.  But,  although  Luther  was 
a  man  of  violent  feelings,  and  bitter  towards 
those  who  differed  from  him ;  yet,  he  always  spoke 
and  wrote  against  the  use  of  force  to  advance  the 
cause  of  religion. 

Elizabeth.  I  want  to  hear  the  rest  of  Luther's 
letter  to  Frederic,  mother. 

3Iother.  Luther  said  that,  if  he  should  be 
taken,  or  even  put  to  death,  the  Elector  could 
not  be  blamed,  because  Luther  had  not  followed 
his  advice.  "  Do  not  think,"  said  he,  "  of  op- 
posing the  Emperor  by  force.  Let  him  do  what 
he  pleases  with  the  lives  and  property  of  your 
subjects."  And  many  other  things  this  bold  re- 
former said,  in  the  same  tone,  to  his  prince. 

Peter.  How  did  he  dare  talk  so  to  his  prince  ? 
Was  not  Frederic  angry  with  him? 

3Iother.  Frederic  was  astonished  at  Luther's 
boldness ;  but  he  was  too  good  a  man  to  be  angry 
with  the  Reformer's  plainness.     He  sent  Jerome 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  U  / 

Schurf,  to  assure  him  of  his  kindness  and  good 
will ;  and  to  ask  him  to  write  another  letter,  in  a 
little  different  style  from  the  last,  which  he  might 
show  to  his  friends,  and  to  the  other  German 
princes.  He  wished  him  to  give  his  reasons,  at 
length,  for  returning  to  Wittemberg,  and  to  say 
that  he  had  taken  this  step  without  the  orders  of 
the  prince.  This  Luther  did ;  but  at  the  same 
time  told  Frederic  that  there  was  nothing  in  his 
othfer  letter  which  he  would  be  unwilling  to  have 
seen.  He  did  not  wish  to  do  any  thing  that  would 
not  bear  the  light.  But  now  we  have  talked 
long  enough  for  once. 

aUESTIONS. 

What  is  said  of  Carolstadt  ?  What  did  Frederic  do,  when  he 
heard  the  Reformers  had  abolished  private  masses  ?  What  answer 
did  the  Reformers  give  ?  Can  you  give  an  account  of  the  first  appear- 
ance of  the  Anabaptists,  and  of  their  religious  sentiments?  What 
did  Luther  write  to  Melancthon  about  the  prophets  ?  What  bold 
£jep  did  Luther  take,  at  this  time  ? 


CONVERSATION  III. 

Luther  preaches  at  Wittemberg — He  detects  the  imposture  of  the 
Anabaptist  Prophets— Publishes  his  New  Testament— Progress 
of  the  Reformation. 

Peter.  Mother,  what  did  Luther  do,  when  he 
came  back  to  Wittemberg  ? 

Mother.  In  order  to  calm  the  minds  of  the 
people,  and  to  prevent  any  farther  disturbance, 
he  immediately  appeared  in  public,  in  his  favorite 
employment  of  preaching.  And  his  discourses 
were  admirably  adapted  to  the  state  of  feeling 
which  prevailed  among  the  people.  He  preached 
seven  sermons,  upon  the  great  questions  which 
agitated  the  church,  in  as  short  a  time  as  he 
could.  In  these  discourses,  he  showed  his  hear- 
ers how  tenderly  they  ought  to  treat  the  con- 
sciences of  their  weaker  brethren.  He  told  them 
that  many  inconveniences,  in  the  outward  state 
of  the  church,  should  be  borne  with,  till  the 
minds  of  men  were  sufficiently  enlightened  to  ad- 
mit of  more  improvement.     Communion  in  both 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  59 

kinds,  he  said,  ought  not  to  be  introduced  by 
force ;  but  that  the  people  should  be  persuaded  to 
it  by  arguments.  Those  vAio  pleased  might  still 
receive  it  as  they  had  been  used  to,  till  they  were 
convinced  of  their  error.  Images  might  be  tolera- 
ted in  the  church  for  the  present,  though  he  wish- 
ed to  see  them  wholly  abolished ;  but  they  must 
by  no  means  be  worshipped.  He  condemned  the 
practice  of  admitting  people  to  the  communion 
without  preparation,  and  insisted  on  a  lively  faith 
in  the  Redeemer,  without  whiclr  the  sacrament 
was  nothing. 

Caroline.  I  think  the  people  were  very  glad 
to  hear  him  preach  again,  mother. 

Mother.  I  have  no  doubt  they  were,  my  dear. 
And  the  first  time  he  went  into  the  pulpit,  he 
said  to  them,  "  Once  more  I  am  allowed  to  sound 
the  Gospel  in  your  ears;  once  more  you  may  de- 
rive benefit  from  my  exhortation.  By  and  by 
death  will  come,  and  then  we  can  do  one  another 
no  good.  How  necessary,  therefore,  is  it,  that 
every  one  should  be  furnished  with  the  principles 
which  are  to  support  him  at  that  awful  moment ! 
These  principles  are  the  great  doctrines  of  Chris- 
tianity." He  then  went  on  to  speak  of  these 
doctrines:  1.  That  we  are  by  nature  the  children 


60 


THE    ANABAPTISTS. 


of  wrath,  and  that  all  our  own  thoughts,  affec- 
tions, and  works,  can  do  us  no  good  ;  2.  That 
we  can  only  be  saved  by  faith  in  Christ ;  3.  That 
we  must  do  good  to  each  other  in  love.  "  With- 
out love,"  said  he,  "  faith  is  a  cold  speculation. 
In  this,  dear  friends,  ye  are,  as  yet,  greatly  de- 
fective. Nay,  not  a  single  vestige  of  love  can  I 
discover  among  you — a  plain  proof  that  ye  are 
not  grateful  to  God  for  his  rich  mercies." 

Elizabeth.    That  was  plain  preaching,  mother. 

Mother.  Yes,  my  dear  Elizabeth ;  but  it  is 
just  the  kind  of  preaching  that  will  do  good. 
"  But,"  said  he,  "  we  have  also  need  of  patience. 
There  must  be  persecution.  Satan  never  sleeps ; 
but  is  constantly  contriving  something  which  will 
try  our  patience.  Now  patience  begets  hope. 
The  Christian  learns  to  commit  his  cause  to  God; 
his  faith  increases  more  and  more,  and  he  grows 
stronger  every  day.  The  heart,  furnished  with 
these  spiritual  gifts,  thinks  little  of  itself;  but 
overflows  with  good  will  to  his  brother ;  ^and  for 
his  sake  forbears  to  do  many  things,  which,  oth- 
erwise, he  might  be  allowed  to  do.  To  be  plain, 
we  ought  to  bear  with  the  infirmities  of  our  breth- 
ren, and  to  feed  them  with  milk ;  and  not  be  so 
selfish  as  to  think  of  going  to  heaven  alone ;  but 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  61 

rather  try  to  gain  our  brethren  by  kindness,  and . 
make  them  our  companions  in  the  road  to  the 
mansions  of  the  blessed,  though  now  they  may  be 
our  enemies.  If  I  had  been  with  you,  lately, 
while  ye  were  abolishing  the  masses,  I  should 
have  tried  to  moderate  your  heat.  Your  cause 
was  good,  but  you  managed  it  with  too  much  vio- 
lence. Among  those  opposed  to  us,  I  trust  there 
are  many  brothers  and  sisters  who  belong  to  us, 
and  must  be  drawn  to  us  with  the  cords  of  love. 
Let  your  faith  be  firm  as  a  rock ;  but  let  your 
charity  be  pliable,  and  accommodated  to  the  cir- 
cumstances of  your  neighbor.  Some  can  only 
creep,  others  can  walk  briskly,  and  others  again 
are  so  swift  that  they  can  almost  fly.  That  the 
private  masses  ought  to  be  abolished,  is  as  clear 
as  that  God  is  to  be  worshipped ;  and  with  my 
voice  and  my  pen  I  would  strenuously  maintain 
that  they  are  a  most  horrid  abomination.  Yet  I 
would  not  pull  one  person  by  force  away  from  the 
mass.  It  does  not  become  me  to  drag  them  away 
by  the  hair  of  the  head,  or  to  use  any  other  vio- 
lence ;  but  rather  to  leave  the  word  of  God  to  its 
own  operation,  and  to  pray  for  them.  By  acting 
in  this  manner,  the  force  of  Scripture  will  pene- 
trate the  hearts  of  men,  and  produce  an  effectual 


62  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

and  durable  change  of  sentiment;  and  when  men 
are  become  in  general  of  the  same  mind,  then 
the  J  will  agree  in  laying  aside  their  erroneous 
forms  and  ceremonies.  In  all  this,  I  am  far  from 
wishing  to  restore  the  use  of  the  mass.  All  I 
mean  is,  that  faith,  in  its  very  nature,  is  incapa- 
ple  of  restraint  or  coercion." 

SamueL  What  a  pity,  mother,  that  the  whole 
Christian  world  haA^e  not  acted  upon  this  princi- 
ple. If  men  had  never  tried  to  force  others  to 
believe  contrary  to  their  own  judgment,  it  would 
have  saved  a  great  deal  of  strife,  as  well  as  rivers 
of  blood. 

Mother.  Yes  ;  but  that  is  what  men  have  been 
slow  to  learn.  Hov/ever,  the  use  of  force,  in  re- 
ligious matters,  is  not  to  be  charged  upon  the 
Christian  religion.  It  is  a  relic  of  Paganism.  In 
every  heathen  land,  idolatry  has  been  established 
by  law.  Our  Savior  expressly  told  his  disciples, 
that  his  kingdom  was  not  of  this  world,  and  for- 
bade them  to  attempt  establishing  it  by  force  of 
arms.  But  when  Christians  became  so  numerous 
as  to  form  the  strength  of  the  Roman  empire,  the 
government  called  in  its  aid,  and  gave  it  the 
same  footing  which  Paganism  had  before  it.  So, 
you  see  that  church  establishments  are  no  part 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  63 

of  the  Christian  system ;  but  they  were  grafted 
upon  it  from  Paganism.  The  union,  however, 
has  proved  most  disastrous  to  the  cause  of  truth 
and  Christianity;  and  so  it  will  ever  prove, 
wherever  it  is  adopted.  But,  though  the  princi- 
ple of  forcing  men,  by  the  sword,  to  believe  as 
the  church  believes,  has  been  generally  abandon- 
ed in  this  country;  yet,  there  is  much  spiritual 
despotism  remaining  in  the  church.  But  Luther 
goes  on  to  say,  "  I  preached,  I  wrote,  I  pressed 
on  men's  consciences,  with  the  greatest  earnest- 
ness, the  word  of  God  ;  but  I  used  no  force.  And 
what  has  been  the  consequence?  The  word  of 
God  has  given  such  a  blow  to  Papal  despotism  as 
not  one  of  the  German  princes,  no,  not  even  the 
emperor  himself,  could  have  done.  It  is  not  1 — 
it  is  the  divine  word ,  which  has  done  every  thing. 
If  it  had  been  right  to  have  sought  a  reform  by 
violence  and  tumults,  it  would  have  been  easy  for 
me  to  have  deluged  Germany  with  blood.  Had  I 
been  the  least  inclined  to  promote  sedition,  it  was 
in  my  power,  while  I  was  at  Worms,  to  have  en- 
dangered the  safety  even  of  the  emperor  himself 
The  devil  smiles  in  secret,  when  men  pretend  to 
support  religion  by  seditious  tumults ;  but  he  is 


64  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

cut  to  the  heart,  when  he  sees  them,  in  faith  and 
patience,  rely  on  the  written  w^ord." 

Samuel.  I  think  such  preaching  must  have 
put  an  end  to  the  tumults  in  Wittemberg. 

3IotJier.  Yes,  my  son  ;  the  people  heard  their 
beloved  pastor  with  the  greatest  delight;  and 
peace  and  harmony  were  restored  to  the  church. 

Elizabeth.  Well,  mother,  what  did  Luther  do 
with  the  prophets  ? 

Blother.  The  associates  of  Stubner  urged  him 
to  defend  his  pretensions  openly  before  Luther. 
Luther  met  him  and  Cellary,  and  another  man 
of  their  party,  in  the  presence  of  Melancthon. 
He  listened,  patiently,  till  Stubner  had  finished 
relating  his  visions  ;  and  then,  remembering  that 
nonsense  was  incapable  of  being  confuted,  he 
told  him  to  take  care  what  he  did ;  for  he  had 
said  nothing  that  had  the  least  warrant  from 
Scripture.  It  all  appeared  to  him  to  be  either 
the  work  of  his  own  imagination,  or  of  an  evil 
spirit, 

Peter.     How.  did  the  prophets  like  that  ? 

Mother.  Cellary  flew  into  a  great  rage,  stamp- 
ed on  the  floor,  and  struck  the  table  with  his 
hands ;  being  filled  with  resentment  that  Luther 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  65 

should  dare  to  say  such  things  of  so  divine  a  per- 
son. But  Stubner  told  Luther  he  would  give  him 
a  proof  that  he  was  influenced  by  the  Spirit  of 
God;  "for,"  said  he,  "  I  will  reveal  your  own 
thoughts  at  this  moment.  You  are  inclined,  af- 
ter alj,  to  believe  my  doctrine  true." 

Peter.     Was  that  so,  mother  ? 

Mother.  No ;  Luther  was  then  thinking  of 
the  test,  "  The  Lord  rebuke  thee,  Satan."  But 
they  boasted  and  threatened,  in  the  most  extrava- 
gant manner,  what  they  would  do  to  establish 
their  commission.  But  Luther  sent  them  away 
with  these  words :  "■  The  God  whom  I  serve  and 
adore  will  confound  your  vanities."  That  very 
day  they  left  the  town. 

Elizabeth.  And  now,  mother,  I  suppose  the 
Reformation  went  on  finely. 

Mother.  It  was  not  to  be  expected,  my  dear 
Elizabeth,  that  people  just  coming  out  from  the 
midnight  darkness  of  Popery,  would,  at  once,  be- 
come thorough  and  consistent  Christians.  Lu- 
ther had  to  mourn  over  the  inconsistencies  of 
many  of  his  followers,  who  abused  their  Christian 
liberty.  He  had  written  against  Monkery,  and 
in  favor  of  the  marriage  of  the  clergy.  Many  of 
the  monks,  who  had  no  piety,  took  advantage  of 


66  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

this,  arxd  flocked  to  Wittemberg  and  married, 
without  any  other  motive  than  to  gratify  them- 
selves. However,  some  of  those  who  deserted 
the  monasteries  were  shining  examples  of  piety, 
and  devoted  themselves  to  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel;  and  through  their  labors,  with  those  of 
Luther  and  others,  many  souls  were  converted. 
But  the  Reformer  complained  that  wickedness 
still  abounded,  even  among  those  that  professed 
to  abhor  Popery. 

Peter.  But,  mother,  if  I  had  been  Luther,  I 
should  have  been  afraid  to  stay  at  Wittemberg. 
Did  not  the  Papists  try  to  kill  him  ? 

Mother.  My  son,  he  valued  the  cause  of  Christ 
more  than  his  own  life.  I  will  read  part  of  a  let- 
ter he  wrote  to  one  of  his  friends,  about  this  time, 
which  will  show  the  dangerous  condition  in  which 
he  was  placed  :  *'  I  live,"  said  he,  "  in  the  midst 
of  enemies,  who  have  a  right,  according  to  law, 
to  kill  me,  every  hour." 

Elizabeth.  How  was  that,  mother  1  how  could 
his  enemies  have  a  right  to  murder  him? 

Mother.  You  recollect,  my  dear,  about  the 
Edict   of  Worms.*     By  that  Luther  was  in  a 

*  See  "  The  Davm,''  p.  — 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  67 

measure  outlawed,  so  that  any  good  Catholic 
might  kill  him. 

Samuel.  And  I  suppose  there  were  thousands 
who  were  ready  to  do  it,  if  they  could  get  a 
chance. 

Mother.  I  have  no  doubt  of  it.  But,  in  the 
midst  of  these  dangers,  he  says,  "  I  know  that 
Christ  is  Lord  of  all,  that  the  Father  hath  put  all 
things  under  his  feet,  and  among  the  rest,  the 
wrath  of  the  emperor  and  all  evil  spirits.  If  it 
please  Christ  that  I  should  be  slain,  let  me  die  in 
his  name ;  if  it  do  not  please  him,  who  shall  slay 
me  ?"  And  then  he  goes  on  to  ask  the  prayers 
of  his  friend,  and  to  mourn  that  there  was  so  lit- 
tle heart-religion,  even  among  the  friends  of  the 
Reformation. 

Elizahetli.  That  was  a  noble  spirit,  mother. 
But  how  could  he  do  any  thing,  while  in  such 
danger  of  his  life  ? 

Mother.  He  kept  at  his  work,  and  trusted  in 
God  to  take  care  of  him.  In  the  course  of  this 
year,  1522,  he  published  the  New  Testament, 
which  he  had  translated  during  his  confinement. 
He  then  went  on  with  the  translation  of  the  Old 
Testament,  publishing  the  books,  from  time  to 
time,  until  he  completed  the  whole  in  the  year 


6S  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

1530.      But  ill  this  work    he  was  assisted   by 
Justus  Jonas  and  Philip  Melancthon. 

Samuel.  I  suppose  this  was  a  great  help  to 
the  Reformation. 

Mother.  Yes;  the  effects  were  soon  felt  in 
Germany.  Great  numbers  now  read  the  precious 
word  of  God  in  their  own  language,  and  saw, 
with  their  own  eyes,  the  truth  of  the  doctrines 
preached  by  the  Reformers. 

Peter.  Well,  I  suppose  the  Papists  were  very 
angry  with  him  for  this;  for  they  hate  the  Bible 
above  all  things. 

3Iother.  Yes ;  and  well  they  may  ;  for  it  point- 
edly condemns  the  abominable  doctrines  and 
practices  of  the  church  of  Rome.  The  Popish 
princes  ordered  Luther's  Bible  to  be  burnt ;  and 
they  were  enraged  still  more,  when  he  advised 
the  people  patiently  to  bear  their  sufferings,  with- 
out resisting  their  governors,  but  not  to  come  for- 
ward of  their  own  accord  and  give  up  their  Bi- 
bles, nor  to  do  any  thing  to  approve  the  conduct 
of  their  rulers. 

Elizabeth.  I  suppose  Luther's  Bible  must 
have  put  duke  George  in  a  great  rage. 

Mother.  Yes ;  and  he  was  very  angry  with 
Frederic  for  suffering  the  principles  of  the  Re- 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  XAf 

formation  to  grow  so  much  ;  and  he  encouraged 
the  bishop  of  Misnia  to  visit  the  churches  in  the 
Elector's  dominions.  But,  as  Frederic  would  not 
allow  the  bishop  to  use  any  force  against  his  sub- 
jects, his  visit  was  of  little  use  to  Popery.  He 
preached  and  warned  the  people ;  but  his  argu- 
ments in  favor  of  masses,  of  the  Pope's  infallibil- 
ity, and  of  other  absurdities,  appeared  too  ridic- 
ulous to  the  people  to  have  any  effect  upon  their 
minds. 

Samuel.  Mother,  why  did  not  the  Reformers, 
before  this  time,  come  out  from  the  Church  of 
Rome,  and  form  themselves  into  a  separate 
church  1  I  don't  see  how  they  could  stay  in  such 
a  corrupt  church. 

Mother.  Luther  had  bent  all  his  efforts,  by 
preaching  and  writing,  to  inform  the  minds  of 
the  people,  and  draw  them  away  from  those  false 
grounds  of  dependence,  which  were  ruining  their 
souls.  This  bethought  was  of  the  first  impor- 
tance. But  now,  as  the  Reformers  multiplied, 
they  began  to  feel  serious  inconvenience  from  the 
want  of  a  separate  form  of  church  government, 
by  which  they  would  be  freed  from  the  super- 
stitions and  tyranny  of  the  church  of  Rome.  Se- 
rious inquirers  after  truth,  were  greatly  harrassed 

6 


70  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

by  the  Popish  party  ;  and  without  some  plan  of 
union  among  themselves,  they  could  not  provide 
the  people  with  faithful  preaching  and  pastoral 
instruction.  Under  these  circumstances,  the  pas- 
tors of  several  of  the  principal  towns  in  Saxony, 
applied  to  Luther,  to  see  if  some  plan  could  not 
be  contrived,  suited  to  the  necessities  of  the  case. 
In  consequence  of  this,  he  published  a  little  book 
on  the  subject,  in  which  he  recommended  other 
churches  to  make  such  improvements  as  had  been 
introduced  at  Wittemberg.  Luther  saw  also 
that,  as  many  of  the  monasteries  and  Popish  col- 
leges were  deserted  in  consequence  of  the  Re- 
formation, the  revenues  by  which  they  were  sup- 
ported would  be  liable  to  be  abused.  He  there- 
fore recommended  that  these  revenues  should  be 
collected  into  a  sort  of  common  treasury,  and  ap- 
plied to  the  support  of  schools  and  hospitals,  and 
to  maintain  preachers  of  the  Gospel; 

Peter.  I  think  the  people  would  like  that, 
mother  ? 

Mother.  But  it  gave  great  offence  to  the 
Popish  clergy.  Nothing  touches  them  to  the 
quick,  like  taking  away  their  money.  But,  all 
this  time,  the  bigoted  duke  George  was  not  in- 
active.    During    Luther's  confinement,   he  had 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  71 

got  a  severe  edict  passed  against  the  Reformers, 
by  the  Emperor's  government  at  Nuremberg. 
And  now,  he  was  doing  all  in  his  power  to  carry 
it  into  effect.  He  persecuted  those  who  favored 
the  doctrines  of  the  Reformation,  in  his  own  do- 
minions, with  great  cruelty.  He  also  wrote  to 
the  Elector  Frederic,  and  to  his  brother  John, 
Duke  of  Saxony,  trying  to  persuade  them  to  fol- 
low his  example. 

Elizabeth.  I  hope  they  did  not  do  it.  I  am 
sure  the  Elector  would  not. 

Mother.  No ;  nor  his  brother  John,  neither  ; 
for  he  was  a  friend  of  the  Reformation.  But 
duke  George  carried  on  his  persecutions  with 
great  cruelty.  He  called  all  the  students  within 
his  power  or  influence  away  from  the  colleges 
where  he  suspected  the  principles  of  the  Reforma- 
tion were  taught.  The  clergy,  within  his  do- 
minions, who  favored  Lutheranism,  found  no  fa- 
vor at  his  hands.  And,  in  order  to  destroy  Lu- 
ther's Bible,  he  bought  all  the  copies  he  could 
find,  and  severely  punished  all  who  refused  to 
give  it  up.  The  Popish  clergy,  emboldened  by 
the  duke's  proceedings,  raged  with  increased 
violence.  In  their  visits  through  the  country,  the 
bishops  threatened  the  most  cruel  punishments 


72  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

against  all  who  should  dare  to  read  Luther's 
translation  of  the  Bible,  or  go  into  the  dominions 
of  the  Elector  of  Saxony  to  hear  the  Reformers 
preach. 

Samuel.  Did  they  think  they  could  stop  the 
Reformation  in  that  way,  mother  ? 

Mother.  No  people  are  so  blind  as  tyrants, 
who  oppose  the  progress  of  truth  by  force.  These 
blind  persecutors  defeated  their  own  object,  by 
their  cruelties.  The  schools  and  colleges  at 
Leipsic  were  more  and  more  deserted.  As  they 
were  not  allowed  the  privilege  of  inquiring  after 
the  truth  at  Leipsic,  they  went  to  Wittemberg, 
atid  there  many  of  them  became  famous  for  ra- 
tional inquiry  and  Christian  liberty.  But  all  the 
opposition  of  the  Papists  could  not  prevent  the 
people  from  reading  Luther's  translation  of  the 
Bible.  It  was  read  by  almost  every  body  through- 
out Germany.  Women  of  rank  studied  it  with 
great  diligence,  so  that  they  were  able  to  defend 
the  doctrines  of  the  Reformation  against  bishops, 
monks,  and  Catholic  doctors. 

Elizabeth.  That  must  have  made  the  Papists 
more  angry  still.     What  did  they  do  now? 

Mother.  They  saw  that,  as  they  could  not 
prevent  the  people  from  reading  the  Bible,  they 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  73 

must  try  to  discredit  Luther's  translation;  and 
Jerome  Emser,  a  Leipsic  doctor,  and  a  counsel- 
lor of  duke  George,  was  employed  for  this  pur- 
pose. He  first  published  his  "  Notes  on  Luther's 
Neic  Testament  ;'^  in  which  he  abused  the  Re- 
former and  quarrelled  with  the  truth.  After  that, 
he  published  what  he  called  ^'  A  correct  transla- 
tion of  the  New  Testament  into  German.'^  But 
this  was  only  a  copy  of  Luther's  translation,  with 
such  alterations  as  to  make  it  favor  the  doctrines 
of  the  church  of  Rome. 

Samuel.  How  did  he  dare  alter  the  Bible, 
mother?  I  should  think  he  would  have  been 
afraid  of  the  punishments  which  God  threatens 
against  those  M'ho  take  from  the  Bible  or  add  to 
it.* 

Mother.  The  Papists  stop  at  nothing  which 
they  think  necessary  to  maintain  their  cause. 
But  as  soon  as  Emser's  Testament  was  publish- 
ed, duke  George  issued  a  proclamation  in  its  fa- 
vor, in  which  he  abused  Luther  and  his  follow- 
ers; but  especially  his  translation  of  the  New 
Testament.  But  Emser,  after  speaking  of  his 
translation  of  the  New  Testament,  in  connexion 
with  Luther's,  said  that  he  was  by  no  means  con- 

*  Rev.  22  :  18,  19. 


74  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

vinced  of  the  expediency  of  trusting  the  Scrip- 
tures with  the  ignorant  multitude. 

Samuel.  And  then  the  Papists  are  careful  to 
keep  the  multitude  in  ignorance ;  for  they  never 
encourage  learning  among  the  common  people, 
I  think  their  object  must  be  to  maintain  their  own 
tyranny  over  both  the  minds  and  bodies  of  the 
people. 

Mother.  Yes ;  that  is  doubtless  the  reason. 
They  know  that  where  the  common  people  can 
read,  and  have  the  Bible,  they  will  soon  see  that 
their  priests  are  imposing  upon  them.  And  so 
it  is  every  where.  If  we  see  men,  who  have  the 
power  over  their  fellow  creatures,  preventing 
them  from  learning  to  read,  we  may  be  sure  they 
fear  that  they  will  see  the  injustice  and  oppres- 
sion which  is  exercised  towards  them,  and  revolt 
against  it.  But  duke  George  was  not  the  only 
prince  who  persecuted  the  Reformers.  Henry, 
duke  of  Brunswick,  and  Ferdinand,  archduke  of 
Austria,  the  Emperor's  brother,  followed  his  ex- 
ample. Ferdinand  issued  a  severe  edict  against 
the  publication  of  Luther's  translation  of  the  Bi- 
ble ;  and  forbade  the  people  to  have  any  copies 
either  of  that,  or  of  any  other  of  Luther's  books. 
In  Flanders  many  were  put  to  death,  or  deprived 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  '  %    75 

of  their  property,  in  the  most  tyrannical  manner. 
At  Antwerp,  the  monks  were  remarkably  favora- 
ble to  the  Reformation.  Many  of  them  suffered 
death,  with  patience  and  firmness.  Others  were 
compelhid  to  recant,  and  then  severely  punished. 

Elizabeth.  What,  mother,  did  they  punish 
them  after  they  had  recanted?  That  was  very 
cruel,  I  think.  God  is  merciful,  and  forgives 
sinners ;  but  it  seems  to  me  the  church  of  Rome 
has  no  mercy  at  all. 

Mother.  The  church  of  Rome,  my  dear,  for- 
gives all  sins  but  heresy.  A  man  may  commit 
any  other  crime,  and  be  forgiven  for  a  little 
money.  But  if  he  calls  in  question  any  of  the 
doctrines,  or  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the  church, 
there  is  no  mercy  for  him. 

Caroline.  Did  it  not  make  Luther  feel  very 
bad,  mother,  to  see  how  his  followers  were  per- 
secuted ? 

Mother.  Yes ;  and  if  he  had  been  disposed  to 
fight  his  enemies  with  their  own  weapons,  he 
might  easily  have  persuaded  the  leading  charac- 
ters in  Germany,  as  well  as  the  common  people, 
to  take  up  arras  against  them.  But  he  contented 
himself  by  exposing  the  unreasonableness,  igno- 
rance, and  blasphemy  of  the  Papists.    The  Bible 


76      p  THE    ANABArTISTS. 

requires  submission  to  our  rulers  ;  and  this,  Lu- 
ther preached.  But  he  made  use  of  a  more 
powerful  weapon  than  the  sword,  against  Popery. 
He  used  the  sword  of  truth.  In  the  course  of 
the  year  1522,  he  published  several  tracts ;  otie 
of  which  was  entitled,  "  Martin  Luther  against 
•  the  order  falsely  called  the  ecclesiastical  order 
of  pope  and  bishops."  In  this  work,  he  calls 
himself  the  preacher.  The  Pope's  bulls,  he 
said,  had  stripped  him  of  the  titles  of  priest  and 
doctor ;  but  he  willingly  resigned  them,  having 
no  desire  for  any  mark  of  distinction  which  was 
given  him  by  Papal  authority.  He  thtm  goes  on 
to  expose  the  corruptions  of  the  Romish  hierarchy, 
and  insists  that  it  ought  to  be  overthrown.  But 
he  is  careful  to  say  that  this  should  not  be  done 
by  force  ;  but  only  by  the  operation  of  the  word 
of  God,  by  which  the  whole  system  would  be  un- 
dermined. 

While  all  these  things  were  going  on,  the  word 
of  God  was  every  where  taking  deeper  root. 
It  was  preached  with  much  success,  in  various 
parts  of  Germany,  particularly  at  Nuremberg,  at 
Francfort  on  the  Maine,  at  Ulm,  and  at  Halle  in 
Swabia.  At  Mil  berg,  the  Gospel  was  preached 
by  John  Drace,  a  learned  Reformer.    At  Bremen 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  *77 

and  Magdeburg,  it  was  preached  by  two  monks, 
one  of  whom  had  escaped  from  prison  at  Ant- 
werp. At  Zerbst,  the  finest  city  in  the  princi- 
pality of  Anhalt,  Luther  himself  preached  to 
a  crowded  assembly,  with  great  effect  on  the 
minds  of  the  people.  The  Reformation  also  be- 
gan at  Stettin  and  Sunda,  two  great  market  towns 
in  Pomerania.  The  inhabitants  of  Stettin  sent  to 
Wittemberg  for  two  pious  ministers.  But  at  Sun- 
da,  the  people,  in  a  disorderly  and  riotous  man- 
ner, took  the  Reformation  into  their  own  hands, 
broke  in  pieces  the  images  of  the  saints,  and 
drove  the  monks  from  the  monastery. 

Peter.  Well,  mother,  I  think  they  did  just 
right.  They  had  borne  long  enough  with  these 
things ;  and  I  don't  wonder  that  they  took  it  in- 
to their  own  hands. 

Mother.  It  will  never  do  for  Christians,  my 
son,  to  adopt  such  sentiments.  We  must  lead  a 
quiet  and  peaceable  life.  And  if  the  government 
which  God  has  placed  over  us  is  tyrannical  and 
oppressive,  we  must  not  rise  up  in  arms  against 
it;  but  patiently  wait  for  Providence  to  bring 
about  a  reformation.  Riots  and  seditions  and 
tumults   are  opposed  to    every  principle  of  the 


78  THE     ANABAPTISTS. 

gospel. — A  man  went  from  Wittemberg  to  Stol- 
pen,  in  Pomerania,  and  spread  a  knowledge  of 
the  truth  there. 

Caroline.     Was  he  a  minister,  mother  ? 

Mother,  No,  my  dear;  he  was  a  poor  man 
who  had  been  at  work  for  Luther.  You  see  how 
much  one  faithful  Christian  can  do.  Here  was 
a  poor  laboring  man,  who  introduced  the  Gospel 
into  a  great  city.  Cnophius  and  Bugenhagen 
were  schoolmasters,  of  great  note,  at  Treptow. 
Pupils  from  all  quarters  flocked  to  that  place,  to 
hear  their  instructions.  Many  came  even  from 
Livonia  and  Westphalia.  But  they  were  so  per- 
secuted, on  account  of  favoring  the  Reformation, 
that  they  had  to  leave  the  place.  Bugenhagen 
went  to  Wittemberg ;  and  Cnophius,  with  his  Li- 
vonian  scholars,  travelled  to  Riga,  Revel,  and 
Dolpat,  preaching  the  Gospel,  and  exposing  the 
corruptions  of  Popery.  The  government  of  Ham- 
burg openly  renounced  the  authority  of  the  church 
of  Rome;  and  the  inhabitants  ofFriesland  sent 
to  Wittemberg  for  ministers  to  preach  the  Gos- 
pel. The  Reformation  had  also  spread  in  Swit- 
zerland and  Alsace. 

Samuel.     O,  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  the  truth 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  79 

was  making  such  rapid  progress.  Can't  you  tell 
us  more  particulars  about  what  took  place  in  the 
different  places  you  have  mentioned  1 

Mother.  In  most  of  the  places  I  have  men- 
tioned in  Germany,  no  farther  particulars  are 
known.  But  there  are  many  interesting  things 
about  the  Reformation  in  Switzerland ;  which  I 
mean  to  tell  you,  after  I  get  through  with  Ger- 
many.— At  Hartmuth,  near  Francfort,  also,  the 
truth  took  fast  hold  upon  the  hearts  of  the  peo- 
ple. All  Luther's  books  were  publicly  exposed 
for  sale,  in  defiance  of  the  imperial  edict.  At 
Delft,  also,  in  Holland,  there  was  much  inquiry 
on  the  subject  of  religion.  The  principal  of  an 
academy,  at  that  place,  writing  to  some  of  the 
Reformers,  says,  "  Our  adversaries  are  daily 
meditating  mischief  against  the  church ;  but  if 
we  were  but  allowed  to  preach  once,  in  public, 
there  would  be  an  end  of  their  whole  institution, 
the  pillars  of  which  are  already  undermined,  by 
a  few  little  discourses  of  mine,  in  my  own  acade- 
my." But  it  is  now  growing  late,  my  dear 
children.     It  is  time  for  us  to  prepare  for  sleep. 

aUESTIONS. 
What  did  Luther  do,  whe.T  he  leturned  to  Wittemberg  ?    What 
was  the  effect  of  hid  preaching?    What  passed  between  Luther 
and  the  prophets  ?    What  particulars  can  you  relate  of  the  progress 
of  the  Reformation,  and  the  persecution  of  the  Reformers.? 


CONVERSATION  IV. 

New  Pope— Diet  of  Nuremberg— Death  of  Adiian  Vf. 

Peter.  Mother,  you  told  us  about  the  death 
of  Leo;  but  you  did  not  tell  us  who  was  made 
Pope  after  him. 

Mother.  Adrian  VI.  was  elected  Pope,  after 
the  death  of  Leo.  He  had  been  the  teacher  of 
Charles  V.  before  he  was  made  Emperor. 

Samuel.  Then  I  suppose  he  could  make  the 
Emperor  do  any  thing  he  pleased  for  Popery. 
But  what  sort  of  a  man  was  he  1 

Mother.  He  gave  more  evidence  of  sincerity 
than  any  man  that  had  filled  the  papal  chair,  for 
a  long  time ;  and  his  manners  and  morals  were 
better.  He  professed,  also,  really  to  desire  a 
Reformation  in  the  church.  He  was  a  learned 
man,  and  one  of  the  best  theologians  among  the 
Roman  Catholics.  The  more  honest  part  of  the 
Papists  were  pleased  with  his  election.  But  the 
Italian  clergy  did  not  like  it.     In  the  first  place, 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  81 

he  was  a  Frenchman ;  and  they  did  not  like  to 
have  a  foreigner  set  over  them.  And  then,  he 
was  anxious  for  a  reformation,  and  they  did  not 
desire  it.  The  court  of  Rome  was  too  corrupt 
to  wish  for  any  reform.  Besides  all  this,  he  had 
been  known  to  maintain  that  a  pope  might  err, 
in  a  matter  of  faith. 

Caroline.     Did  he  reform  the  church,  mother  ? 

Mother.  He  did  not  see  that  the  whole  sys- 
tem of  Popery  was  wrong ;  and  that  the  abuses 
which  were  so  loudly  complained  of,  were  the 
natural  and  necessary  fruits  of  bad  principles. 
All  his  efforts  to  reform  the  church  must  there- 
fore fail,  because  they  could  not  reach  the  root 
of  the  evil. 

Peter,     What  did  he  do,  mother  1 

Mother.  The  first  thing  he  did,  Vv^as,  to  send 
his  legate  to  the  imperial  diet,  assembled  at  Nu- 
remberg, with  a  letter  to  the  German  princes. 
This  letter,  or  brieve,  as  it  was  called,  was  full 
of  the  most  violent  abuse  of  Luther,  and  of  the 
Reformation.  Although  the  sentence  of  Leo  X.  ■ 
against  him,  was  ordered  by  the  Diet  of  Yv'orms 
to  be  executed  immediately,  yet,  the  Pope  said, 
he  continued  to  teach  the  same  errors,  and  to 
corrupt  the  morals  of  the  people. 


82  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

Peter.  Mother,  I  thought  Luther's  object  was 
to  reform  the  morals  of  the  people,  and  to  make 
them  pious.  But  I  don't  see  how  he  could  cor- 
rupt them,  for  Popery  had  made  them  as  bad  as 
they  could  be. 

Mother.  True,  my  son ;  but  we  shall  see 
what  the  Pope  called  the  morals  of  the  people. 
He  says,  the  worst  part  of  the  mischief  was,  that 
he  was  not  only  supported  by  the  vulgar,  but 
several  persons  of  distinction  had  begun  to  shake 
off  their  obedience  to  the  clergy. 

Samuel.  Then,  I  suppose,  in  the  eyes  of  this 
good  Pope,  the  chief  point,  in  the  morals  of  the 
people,  was,  obedience  to  the  clergy. 

Mother.  Yes ;  if  they  would  but  obey  the 
clergy,  they  might  get  drunk,  and  be  guilty  of  all 
manner  of  licentious  conduct.  All  this  could  be 
pardoned  by  the  priest.  But  if  they  refused  to 
obey  the  clergy  and  believe  just  what  (he  church 
tells  them,  they  must  be  persecuted,  and  hunted 
like  wild  beasts,  and  burnt  at  the  stake, — In  the 
conclusion  of  the  Pope's  brieve,  he  exhorted  the 
Diet  to  endeavor  to  bring  back  to  a  sense  of  duty 
this  arch-heretic  and  his  followers.  "  But,"  said 
he,  **if  the  ulcerations  and  extent  of  the  cancer 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  83 

appear  to  be  such  as  to  leave  no  place   for  mild 
remedies,  the  knife  must  be  used." 

Elizabeth.  I  suppose,  mother,  this  was  what 
he  called  reforming  the  church. 

Mother.  I  suppose  it  was  a  part  of  the  Re- 
formation he  desired,  to  put  down  Luther  and  his 
followers.  He  told  his  legate  to  inform  the  Diet 
how  much  the  Pope  was  troubled  on  account  of 
the  progress  of  Lutheranism  ;  and  how  necessary 
it  was  to  take  vigorous  measures  to  put  it  down. 
But  then  the  legate  was  to  own  that  all  the  con- 
fusions introduced  by  Luther,  were  the  effects  of 
men's  sins  ;  and  particularly  the  sins  of  the  cler- 
gy and  prelates.  For  some  years  past,  he  said, 
many  abuses,  abominations,  and  excesses,  had 
been  committed  in  the  court  of  Rome,  and  even 
in  the  Holy  See  itself;  and  it  was  no  wonder  if 
the  evil  had  passed  from  the  head  to  the  mem- 
bers, from  the  Popes  to  the  bishops  and  other 
-clergy.  "  We  have  long,"  said  the  Pope,  ''  every 
one  of  us,  turned  to  his  own  way,  and  for  a  long 
time,  none  have  done  good,  no  not  one.  Nothing 
shall  be  wanting,  on  my  part,  to  reform  the  court 
of  Rome,  whence  perhaps  all  the  mischief  hath 
originated ;  that,  as  this  court  hath  been  the 
source   of  the  corruptions   which    have   thence 


84  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

spread  among  the  lower  orders,  so  from  the  same 
a  sound  reformation  may  proceed." 

Samuel.  Why,  mother,  I  think  the  Pope  was 
as  great  a  heretic  as  Luther ;  for  this  great  Re- 
former never  said  any  thing  worse  than  that,  of 
the  court  of  Rome. 

Mother.  This  acknowledgment  is  of  great 
value,  because  it  places  the  charges  of  corrup- 
tion, made  by  the  Reformers  against  the  court  of 
Rome  and  the  Popish  clergy  in  general,  beyond 
dispute.  It  shows,  by  the  confession  of  the  Pope 
himself,  that  there  was  need  of  just  the  Reforma- 
tion for  which  Luther  was  contending. 

Samuel.  I  should  think  the  Popish  clergy 
would  not  have  liked  such  confessions,  mother. 

3Iother.  It  is  said  that  the  cardinals  at  Rome 
were  much  displeased  with  him  on  this  account. 
However,  some  writers  doubt  whether  Adrian  was 
really  sincere  in  his  professions  about  reforming 
the  church.  After  all  these  acknowledgments, 
his  legate  told  the  princes  that  they  must  not  won- 
der if  all  these  abuses  could  not  be  soon  correct- 
ed. The  disease,  he  said,  was  complicated  and 
inveterate,  and  the  cure  must  proceed  step  by 
step,  lest,  by  attempting  to  do  all  at  once,  every 
thincr  should  be  thrown  into  confusion.     Of  this, 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  85 

Luther  says,  *'  You  are  to  understand  these  words 
to  mean,  that  there  must  be  an  interval  q^  some 
ages  between  every  step." 

Samuel.  Mother,  that  is  just  the  way  people 
now  talk,  when  they  want  to  quiet  their  con- 
sciences, while  living  in  sin. 

3Iother.  Yes,  my  son ;  while  people  are  still 
living  in  sin,  they  are  ready  to  think  it  impossible 
for  them  to  break  off  at  once.  And  when  we 
tell  them  there  is  no  other  way,  they  will  get  an-^ 
gry,  and  call  us  imprudent  and  overzealous.  Thfs 
appears  to  have  been  the  only  difference  between 
this  pontiff  and  Luther.  The  Pope  was  for  a 
gradual  reform ;  but  Luther  for  an  immediate 
one.  And  it  is  true,  no  reformation  was  ever 
brought  about  by  telling  men  that  they  must  re- 
form hereafter.  They  will  bear  to  be  told  that 
they  are  great  sinners,  provided  they  are  allowed 
to  sleep  on  in  their  sins  for  the  present.  But 
when  we  tell  them  that  they  must  repent  and 
break  off  their  sins  now%  they  will  either  obey  the 
truth,  or  be  roused  to  opposition.  However,  I 
suppose  we  ought  to  give  Adrian  some  credit  for 
his  sincerity,  for  he  told  the  German  Diet  that  he 
would  not  have  accepted  the  office  of  Pope,  for 
any  other  purpose  than  to  reform  the  church,  to 


86  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

prefer  and  reward  neglected  men  of  merit  and 
virtue,  and  to  do  all  the  duties  of  a  lawful  suc- 
cessor of  St.  Peter. 

Elizabeth.  Well,  mother,  what  effect  had 
these  things  upon  the  Diet  ? 

Mother.  At  first,  the  Pope's  brieve  and  the 
legate's  explanations .  seemed  to  have  made  a 
strong  impression  upon  the  Diet.  Among  other 
things,  the  legate  accused  the  clergy  of  Nurem- 
berg of  preaching  impious  doctrines,  and  insisted 
on  their  being  imprisoned ;  and  the  bishops  and 
other  great  men  among  the  Popish  clergy,  rose 
up,  and  in  a  clamorous  manner,  called  out,  "  Lu- 
ther must  he  taken  off,  and  those  who  spread .  his 
sentiments  must  be  imprisoned."  But  the  Ger- 
man princes  were  not  to  be  satisfied  with  the 
empty  professions  of  the  Pope,  nor  carried  away 
with  the  rage  of  the  priests.  They  told  the  Pope's 
legate  that  he  had  been  misinformed  about  the 
clergy  of  Nuremberg;  for  they  were  highly  es- 
teemed by  the  people ;  and  if  any  harsh  measures 
were  taken  against  them,  it  might  lead  to  sedition 
and  civil  commotions.  As  to  the  Pope's  com- 
plaint against  Luther,  they  said  they  were  always 
ready  to  do  all  they  could  to  root  out  heresies  of 
every  kind.     But  they  had  good  reason  for  not 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  8T 

carrying  into  eifect  the  Edict  of  AVorms.  All 
ranks  and  orders  of  the  people,  they  said,  made 
heavy  complaints  against  the  court  of  Rome  ;  and 
they  were  now,  through  Luther's  writings,  so  well 
convinced  of  the  truth  of  these  charges,  that  any 
attempt  to  execute  the  sentence  of  the  Pope 
against  him  would  be  attended  with  dangerous 
consequences.  The  people  would  look  upon  it 
as  an  attempt  to  oppress  the  truth  and  maintain 
those  abuses  and  impieties  which  could  no  longer 
be  borne.  In  this  way,  they  said,  Germany  would 
soon  be  involved  in  tumults,  rebellion,  and  civil 
wars.  They  thought,  therefore,  that  some  milder 
measures  ought  to  be  tried.  They  praised  the 
Pope's  pious  intention  to  reform  the  court  of 
Rome,  which  he  had  owned  to  be  the  source  of 
all  the  mischief  But  they  said  there  were  par- 
ticular grievances  and  abuses,  which  they  would 
distinctly  set  forth.  If  these  were  not  corrected, 
it  would  be  in  vain  to  expect  the  removal  of  the 
evils  which  agitated  Germany.  As  the  Pope  had 
asked  their  advice,  they  said  they  would  give  it 
freely.  He  was  not  to  suppose  that  they  had  their 
■eyes  solely  on  the  business  of  Luther,  but  on  a 
multitude  of  other  evils,  which  had  taken  deep 
root,  by  long  usage.    The  best  remedy  they  could 


THE    ANABAPTISTS. 


advise,  for- all  these  evils,  was,  that  the  Pope,  with 
the  consent  of  the  Emperor,  should  appoint  a 
council,  to  be  held  in  some  convenient  part  of 
Germany,  and  that  every  member  of  it  should 
have  liberty  to  speak  freely,  and  give  their  ad- 
vice, for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  salvation  of 
souls.  Finally,  they  said  they  would  request  the 
Elector  of  Saxony  to  prevent  the  Lutheran  party 
from  printing  books  or  preaching  sermons  on  sub- 
jects of  a  seditious  tendency ;  and,  in  general, 
they  would  do  all  they  could  to  confine  the  preach- 
ers, for  the  present,  to  plain  practical  preaching, 
and  make  them  wait  for  the  determination  of  the 
council,  in  regard  to  disputed  points.  As  to  the 
priests  who  had  married  wives,  or  the  monks  who 
had  left  their  convents,  they  said  the  civil  laws 
had  made  no  provision  for  such  cases ;  but  if  they 
should  be  guilty  of  crimes  of  a  different  nature, 
they  would  take  care  to  have  them  punished. 
This  answer  was  delivered  in  writing  to  Cheregato, 
the  Pope's  legate. 

Samuel.  I  suppose  he  did  not  relish  such  an 
answer  very  much. 

Mother.  No;  he  was  quite  displeased.  He 
said  that  neither  the  Pope,  nor  the  Emperor,  nor 
any  Christian  prince,  had  ever  expected  to  hear 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  09 

such  language  from  the  Diet.  Since  Luther  was 
condemned,  he  had  not  only  persevered  in  his  old 
errors,  but  had  been  guilty  of  new  transgressions. 
He  ought  therefore  to  have  been  punished  more 
severely.  The  negligence  of  the  princes,  he  said, 
was  offensive  to  God,  the  Pope,  and  the  Emperor ; 
and  their  reasons  for  not  executing  the  sentence 
of  the  Pope,  were  by  no  means  satisfactory.  Men 
ought,  he  said,  to  suffer  any  inconveniences  rath- 
er than  to  endanger  the  Catholic  unity  and  the 
salvation  of  souls.  He  was  also  displeased  with 
their  manner  of  requesting  a  general  council.  It 
would  give  offence  to  his  holy  master,  the  Pope ; 
for  they  had  required  that  it  should  be  with  the 
consent  of  the  Emperor,  that  it  should  be  free, 
and  that  it  should  be  held  in  Germany.  All  this, 
he  said,  was  tying  up  the  hands  of  the  Pope.  He 
was  also  very  much  displeased  with  their  promise 
to  prevent,  as  much  as  they  could,  the  circulation 
of  heretical  books.  "The  sentences  of  the  Pope 
and  the  Emperor,"  said  he,  ''ought  to  be  im- 
plicitly obeyed.  The  books  should  be  burnt,  and 
the  printers  and  venders  of  them  duly  punished. 
There  is  no  other  way  to  put  down  this  pernicious 
sect.  It  is  from  the  reading  of  their  books  t^at 
all  these  evils  have  arisen," 


90 


THE    ANABAPTISTS. 


Samuel.     There  is  the  difficulty,  mother,  witl 
all  who  wish  to  support  false  principles,  and  main- 
tain power  against  right.     They  are  afraid  of  the 
light.     But  truth  is  not  afraid  of  being  overturn- 
ed by  error. 

Mother.  That  is  true,  my  son.  But  the  legate 
was  particularly  displeased  with  what  the  princes 
said  about  the  married  clergy ;  because  they  had 
spoken  about  their  being  tried  by  the  civil  laws  ; 
while  the  church  of  Rome  hold  that  the  magis- 
trates have  no  authority  over  the  clergy  and  re- 
ligious orders.  He  entreated  the  Diet  to  correct 
this  part  of  their  answer,  because  it  was  opposed 
to  the  rights  of  the  church. 

Elizahetli.  I  should  not  think  the  princes 
would  have  been  pleased  with  such  a  haughty, 
domineering  answer. 

Mother.  No ;  his  answer  gave  great  offence  to 
the  Diet.  They  said  he  had  shown  a  quick  sense 
to  every  thing  that  might  appear  to  diminish  the 
authority  of  the  church  of  Rome,  but  little  dis- 
position to  relieve  Germany  from  the  oppressions 
under  which  it  groaned.  But  they  would  not 
multiply  words  al^out  the  matter,  for  they  had 
other  business  to  do,  of  still  greater  importance. 
So  they  told  Cheregato  to  be  content  with  their 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  91 

former  answer,  till  they  could  send  a  national 
memorial  to  the  Pope,  and  leceive  an  answer,  re- 
specting all  their  grievances. 

Peter.  I  suppose  he  was  very  angry  at  that, 
mother. 

Mother.  Yes ;  he  was  so  much  offended,  that 
he  left  the  Diet,  and  went  away  from  Nuremberg. 
This  was  considered  as  disrespectful  to  the  Diet. 
But  they  went  on  with  their  business,  and  made 
out  a  memorial  to  the  Pope,  setting  forth  one 
hundred  grievances,  which  they  wished  to  have 
corrected;  and  telling  him  that  if  they  were  not 
redressed  speedily,  the  burden  of  them,  would  be- 
come so  oppressive  and  insupportable  that  the 
princes  and  people  in  general  neither  could  nor 
would  endure  them  any  longer.  Necessity  would, 
therefore,  compel  them  to  use  every  means  in 
their  power  to  deliver  themselves  from  the  tyran- 
ny of  the  clergy. 

Samuel.    I  think  they  were  growing  very  bold,  or 
they  would  not  have  dared  to  speak  so  to  the  Pope. 

Mother.  Yes ;  and  this  showed  that  the  power 
of  the  Pope  was  declining,  and  that  the  German 
princes  were  beginning  to  understand  their  rights. 

Elizabeth.  Mother,  what  were  the  hundred 
grievances  of  which  they  complained  ? 


92  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

Mother.  I  need  not  mention  every  one  by  it- 
self; but  I  will  tell  you  the  substance  of  them  all. 
They  complained  of  the  large  sums  of  money 
which  were  extorted  from  the  Germans  by  dis- 
pensations, absolutions,  and  indulgencies,  and 
spent  by  the  Popes  in  maintaining  their  relations ; 
at  the  same  time  that  it  opened  a  door  for  all 
sorts  of  crimes. 

Caroline.     What  was  a  dispensation,  mother? 

Mother.  The  Pope  claims  the  authority  of 
setting  aside  both  the  laws  of  God  and  the  lav/s 
of  the  church,  in  particular  cases.  And  when  he 
does  it,  his  act  is  called  a  dispensation. 

Samuel.  Is  it  possible  that  the  Pope  claims 
such  authority  as  that!  What  abominations  it 
must  lead  to. 

Mother.  Again,  the  Diet  complained  that  the 
Pope  directed  cases,  where  religion  was  concern- 
ed, to  be  carried  to  Rome,  instead  of  being  tried 
in  Germany  ;  and  that  the  priests  were  not  aK 
lowed  to  be  tried  before  the  civil  magistrates  for 
their  crimes.  By  this  means,  the  priests  could 
commit  all  manner  of  wickedness,  without  being 
punished. 

Elizabeth.  Why,  mother,  I  should  think,  if 
there  was  any  difference^  the  priests  ought  to  be 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  93 

punished  more  than  the  common  people,  for  the 
same  crimes. 

Mother.  We  should  think  so  ;  but  it  was  very 
convenient  for  the  priests,  who  were  the  most 
licentious  of  all  the  people,  to  be  exempted  from 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  civil  rulers ;  and  then,  as 
they  would  always  be  tried  hy  priests,  they  could 
be  sure  of  getting  clear.  But  another  grievance 
of  which  the  princes  complained,  was  the  money 
that  the  priests  made  the  people  pay  for  admin- 
istering the  sacraments,  celebrating  the  mass, 
burying  the  dead,  and  for  licences  to  keep  con- 
cubines. And  many  other  things  they  mention- 
ed, which  you  would  not  understand. 

Samuel.  Was  good  prince  Frederic  at  this 
Diet,  mother  1 

'  Mother.  No,  ray  son  ;  he  was  getting  old  and 
infirm,  and  he  expected  there  would  bef  stormy 
times  about  Luther,  and  he  did  not  go  to  the 
Diet.  But  the  Pope  sent  him  two  most  abusive 
letters  by  Cheregato,  which  offended  him  very 
much, 

Elizabeth.  I  think  the  minds  of  the  German 
princes  were  much  changed  since  the  Diet  of 
Worms,  if  they  would  do  all  this  when  Frederic 
was  not  there. 


94  THE      ANABAPTISTS. 

Mother.  But  there  was  one  part  of  their  reply 
with  which  Frederic  was  much  displeased.  They 
said  they  would  not  allow  ministers  to  preach, 
nor  the  Reformers  to  print  books  on  disputed 
points.  This,  the  Elector  saw,  would  harrass 
and  perplex  those  faithful  ministers,  who  wished 
to  preach  the  Gospel,  and  that  it  would  hinder 
the  truth.  He  therefore  directed  a  formal  pro- 
test to  be  entered,  in  his  name,  on  the  records  of 
the  Diet,  against  this  part  of  their  proceedings. 
The  proceedings  of  this  Diet,  with  the  Pope's 
brieve,  and  their  answers,  with  their  hundred 
grievances,  were  published  throughout  Germany, 
and  did  much  good  to  the  cause  of  the  Reforma- 
tion. Luther  took  advantage  of  this,  and  ad- 
dressed a  very  interesting  letter  to  the  German 
princes,  on  the  affairs  of  the  church  and  the  Em- 
pire. In  the  conclusion,  he  says,  "  By  this  de- 
cree, I  do  maintain  that  Martin  Luther  stands 
absolved  from  all  the  consequences  of  the  former 
sentence  of  the  Pope  and  Emperor,  until  a  future 
council  shall  have  tried  his  cause." 

Samuel.  But  I  suppose  the  Pope  did  not  like 
this  Edict,  did  he  mother  ? 

Mother.  No ;  the  proceedings  of  the  Diet  pro- 
duced much  discontent  at  Rome.    The  cardinals 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  95 

were  quite  out  of  humor  with  Adrian,  for  ac- 
knowledging the  corruptions  of  the  church,  which 
they  said  he  ought  to  have  concealed ;  and  they 
were  very  angry  with  Cheregato,  on  account  of 
his  haughty  answer  to  the  German  princes.  They 
said  he  ought  to  have  given  up  all  little  matters, 
and  strained  every  nerve  to  get  Luther  con- 
demned. But  by  the  course  he  had  pursued,  he 
had  increased  the  ill-humor  of  the  Germans,  and 
effected  nothing  for  the  church  of  Rome.  The 
authority  of  the  church,  they  said,  was  weakened, 
and  the  sources  of  its  w^ealth  stopped ;  and  the 
heretics  v/ould  become  more  daring  and  pre- 
sumptuous than  ever. 

Samuel.  Well,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  Pope 
and  his  legate  could  not  have  done  any  thing  bet- 
ter for  the  cause  of  the  Reformers.  It  is  strange 
they  did  not  see  that  they  were  putting  weapons 
into  the  hands  of  their  opposers. 

Mother.  When  wicked  men  undertake  to  op- 
pose the  cause  of  God,  he  often  blinds  their  eyes, 
so  that  they  run  on  heedlessly  to  their  own  de- 
struction. This  was  the  case  with  Pharaoh,  and 
with  the  Jews  who  rejected  Christ ;  and  so  it  has 
been  in  many  other  cases.  After  this,  the  Re- 
formers  appealed  to  the    confessions  of  Adrian 


96  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

and  to  the  hundred  grievances  of  the  Diet  of  Nu- 
remberg, to  support  their  charges  against  the 
church  of  Rome.  Poor  Adrian  was  placed  be- 
tween two  fires.  On  the  one  hand,  he  was  as- 
tonished at  what  he  considered  the  obstinacy  of 
the  Reformers ;  and  on  the  other  hand,  he  was 
disgusted  with  the  dissolute  manners  of  the  court 
of  Rome.  And  not  being  able  to  correct  either 
the  one  or  the  other,  he  wished  himself  back  at 
Louvain.  But  soon  after  receiving  from  his  le- 
gate an  account  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Diet  at 
Nuremberg,  he  died;  and  over  his  tomb  was 
placed  this  remarkable  epitaph  :  "  Here  lies  Adri- 
an VI.  who  esteemed  the  Papal  government  to  be 
the  greatest  misfortune  of  his  life." 

QUESTIONS. 

Who  was  made  Pope,  after  the  death  of  Leo  X  ?  What  sort  of  a 
man  was  he?  What  was  the  first  thing  he  did  ?  What  confessions 
did  the  Pope  make,  and  what  did  he  ask  the  Diet  of  Nuremberg  to 
do?  What  did  the  princes  answer,  and  what  did  the  Pope's  legate 
reply?    What  followed? 


CONVERSATION  V. 

Critical  state  of  the  Reformation,  after  the  Diet  of  Nuremberg— Per^ 
secution  of  the  Glueen  of  Denmark — Persecution  in  Flanders- 
Martyrdom  of  Voes  and  Esch. 

Peter.  Mother,  I  want  to  hear  more  about 
the  Reformation.  Will  you  tell  us  how  things 
went  on,  after  the  Diet  of  Nuremberg? 

Mother. '  The  cause  of  truth  was  still  sur- 
rounded with  difficulty  and  danger.  Although 
the  Diet  had  boldly  withstood  the  Pope,  yet  they 
appointed  the  Vicar  of  Constance  to  oppose  Lu- 
theranism,  as  they  called  it,  throughout  Germany. 

Elizabeth.  I  suppose  that  brought  Luther  into 
great  danger. 

3Iother.  The  Elector  and  his  court  were  so 
fearful  about  Luther,  that  they  tried  to  persuade 
him  to  return  to  the  castle.  But,  that  you  may 
see  how  God  supports  his  servants,  in  trying  cir- 
cumstances, I  will  read  to  you  a  part  of  a  letter 
he  sent  to  his  friend  Spalatinus  :  "No,  no,"  says 
he,  "  do  not  think  that  I  will  again   hide  myself 


yS  THE    AXABArTISTS. 

in  a  corner,  however  madly  the  monsters  may 
rage.  You  must  see  now  that  the  hand  of  God 
is  in  this  business.  This  is  the  second  year  that 
my  life  has  been  preserved,  beyond  the  expecta- 
tion of  every  one.  I  am  yet  alive,  and  the  Elector 
is  not  only  safe,  but  the  fury  of  the  German 
princes  is  less  violent  than  it  was  last  year.  It  is 
by  the  providence  of  God  that  our  prince  finds 
himself  concerned  in  this  religious  contest;  and 
Jesus  Christ  will  have  no  difficulty  to  defend  him.- 
However,  if  I  could,  without  actually  disgracing 
the  Gospel,  find  a  way  of  separating  him  from  my 
difficulties  and  dangers,  I  would  not  hesitate  to 
give  up  my  life.  I  had  expected  and  lioped  that, 
within  this  year,  I  should  have  been  dragged  to 
death.  But  it  appears  very  plain  that,  at  present, 
we  are  not  able  to  comprehend  the  designs  of 
God,  in  this  matter ;  therefore  it  will  be  safest  for 
us  to  say,  in  the  spirit  of  humble  resignation, 
*  Thy  will  be  done.'  '' 

Samuel.  O,  mother,  Luther  had  great  faith. 
If  Christians  now  trusted  in  God,  with  such  strong 
confidence,  don't  you  think  Christ's  kingdom 
would  be  built  up  a  great  deal  faster  than  it  now  is  1 

3Iothei\  Yes,  my  son :  if  Christians  generally 
would  stop  depending  upon  the  means  that  are  em- 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  99 

ployed  to  build  up  Christ's  kingdom,  and  look  to 
God  aloi>e,  to  carry  on  his  own  work,  they  would 
see  wonders.  Yet  there  are  some,  I  have  no 
doubt,  who  trust  in  God,  with  as  strong  confi- 
dence as  Luther  did.  And  wherever  such  men 
go,  the  hand  of  the  Lord  is  with  them,  and  Re- 
vivals of  Religion  follow  their  labors. 

Peter.  Well,  I  suppose  the  Reformation  went 
on  bravely,  now. 

Mother.  This,  my  son,  w^as  a  most  critical 
period  in  the  progress  of  that  great  cause.  Both 
Luther  and  the  Elector  of  Saxony  w^ere  in  great 
danger.  Duke  George  had  tried  to  persuade  the 
Regency  at  Nuremberg  to  force  Frederic  to  pun- 
ish Luther. 

Caroline.  I  don't  know  what  Regency  means, 
mother. 

3Iot]ier.  When  a  king  or  an  Emperor  dies, 
before  his  son  or  heir  is  old  enough  to  take  his 
place,  some  one  or  more  persons  are  employed  to 
manage  the  affairs  of  the  government  in  his  name. 
This  is  called  a  Regency. 

Peter.     Was  the  Emperor  dead,  mother  ? 

Mother.  No;  but  he  was  absent  from  Ger- 
many, carrying  on   a  war ;  and  it  was  necessary 


iOO  .     THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

that  there  should  be  a  Regency  to  manage  the 
affairs  of  the  Empire. 

Elizabeth.  Did  the  Regency  do  as  Duke 
George  wished  them  to] 

3IotJie?\  No ;  they  told  him  that,  as  he  was 
the  one  that  was  offended,  it  would  be  more 
proper  for  him  to  apply  to  the  Elector  for  redress. 
But  there  is  strong  reason  to  believe  that  Duke 
George  was  trying  to  get  possession  of  the  domin- 
ions of  his  nephews,  the  Elector  Frederic  and 
Duke  John. 

Samuel.  Is  it  possible,  mother,  that  he  could 
be  such  a  hypocrite,  as  to  be  pretending  so  much 
regard  to  religion,  while  he  was  only  trying  to 
enrich  himself,  at  the  expense  of  his  relations? 

Mother.  He  no  doubt  persuaded  himself  that 
he  should  be  doing  a  service  to  the  church ;  be- 
cause, if  he  had  possession  of  his  nephews'  do- 
minions, he  could  put  down  Lutheranism  by  the 
sword.  And  with  the  Papists,  any  thing  is  law- 
ful, which  promotes  the  interests  of  the  church  of 
Rome. 

Peter.  Did  Frederic  know  this,  mother  ?  I 
should  not  think  he  woald  let  them  take  away 
his  government  peaceably. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  101 

Mother.  Frederic  was  a  wise  man;  and  he 
was  not  ignorant  of  the  designs  of  his  enemies. 
He  saw  the  conspiracy  that  was  forming  between 
the  Pope,  the  Emperor,  and  several  of  the  most 
bigoted  German  princes,  to  crush  the  infant 
Reformation,  and  every  prince  that  was  friendly 
to  it. 

Peter.  Well,  if  he  was  wise^  I  think  he  had 
not  much  courage ;  or  he  would  not  have  been 
easy,  while  he  saw  others  trying  to  rob  him  of  his 
rights. 

Mother.  We  have  already  seen  that  Frederic 
was  a  very  conscientious  man.  And,  in  this  re- 
spect, I  would  hold  him  up  as  a  pattern.  When 
he  was  sure  what  was  duty,  he  never  wanted  cour- 
age to  do  it.  But  when  there  was  any  doubt 
<kbout  it,  he  was  afraid  to  act,  lest  he^  should  do 
wrong.  This  is  a  very  good  principle.  If  you 
have  any  doubt  whether  any  action  is  right,  the 
safest  way  always  is,  not  to  do  it.  In  the  year 
1523,  this  good  prince  thought  very  much  of  de- 
fending his  persecuted  subjects  by  force.  But, 
as  he  was  subject  to  the  emperor  in  one  sense, 
and  to  the  Pope  in  another,  he  was  afraid  it 
would  be  wrong  to  resist  their  authority.     In  this 

state  of  mind,  he  required  Luther,  Bugenhagius, 

8 


102  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

and  Melancthon  to  give  him,  in  writing,  their  de- 
liberate opinion  upon  the  question,  "In  case  any 
of  his  subjects  should  suffer  violence  from  the 
Emperor  or  from  any  of  the  German  princes,  on 
account  of  their  religion,  would  it  be  right  for  the 
Elector  of  Saxony  to  protect  them  by  force  of 
arms  ?" 

Elizabeth.  That  was  a  hard  question,  mother, 
when  it  so  much  concerned  themselves  and  their 
cause.  If  they  say  no,  I  shall  think  them  very 
honest. 

Mother.  Yes;  the  answer  of  these  men  shows 
most  clearly,  that  their  object  was  not  to  excite 
sedition  and  tumults,  as  they  had  been  accus- 
ed. They  told  him  it  would  not  be  right  for  him 
to  go  to  war,  on  their  account,  for  several  rea- 
sons:  1.^^' The  princes  were  not  fully  convincedXif 
the  truth  of  the  doctrines  preached  by  the  Re- 
formers ;  2.  Their  subjects  had  not  asked  their 
protection  against  violence  and  persecution ;  3. 
The  several  states  had  not  deliberated  on  the 
point ;  4.  Those  who  take  up  arms  in  their  own 
defence,  ought,  before  all  things,  to  be  sure  of  the 
justice  of  their  cause. 

Sa?imel.  I  think  these  men  could  not  have 
given  a  better  evidence  of  the  honesty   of  their 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  103 

hearts  and  the  purity  of  their  motives.  But,  it 
seems  to  me  the  affairs  of  the  Reformation  were 
becoming  very  critical. 

Mother.  Yes,  my  son ;  but  the  Lord  soon  clear- 
ed away  the  dark  clouds  that  hung  over  this  ris- 
ing cause.  The  Emperor  was  so  much  engaged 
in  other  matters,  that  he  found  it  impossible  to 
give  much  attention  to  these  affairs,  in  Germany  ; 
without  him  the  rest  of  the  enemies  of  the  truth, 
could  do  very  little. 

Peter.  How  was  the  hand  of  the  Lord  in  that, 
mother  1 

Mother.  The  hand  of  the  Lord  is  in  every 
thing,  my  son. 

Peter.  How  then  can  we  be  to  blame  for  do- 
ing \^;rong,  if  we  are  doing  what  he  wants  to  have 
done  1  I  don't  see  how  that  can  be. 

Mother.  Mr.  Smith  wanted  to  have  his  dog 
Trim  killed,  because  he  worried  the  sheep.  Yet 
he  did  not  like  to  do  at  himselv'  But  one  day 
Tom  Jones  got  angry  with  Mr.  Smith,  and  killed 
old  Trim.  Now,  did  not  Tom  Jones  do  what 
Mr.  Smith  wished  to  have  done  ? 

Peter.     Yes,  mother,  he  did. 

Mother.     But,  was  it  not  as  bad  for  him  to  kill 


104  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

thp  dog,  as  if  Mr.  Smith  had  not  wished  to  have 
him  killed? 

Peter.  Yes,  I  think  it  was  ;  for  he  did  it  out 
of  spite. 

Mother.  Well,  now  you  see  how  it  is  that  God 
employs  wicked  men  to  do  what  he  wishes  to  have 
done.  He  does  not  force  men  .to  do  wickedly, 
against  their  own  wills.  But  he  lets  them  goon, 
in  their  own  way,  according  to  their  own  choice ; 
and  yet  he  overrules  their  actions  to  accomplish 
his  own  purposes.  When  he  wanted  to  punish 
the  Israelites,  he  sent  against  them  the  king  of 
Assyria,,  wbo  carried  them  away  to  another  land. 
But  this  wicked  man  did  not  think  he  was  doing 
the  will  of  God.  He  was  acting  out  the  disposi- 
tion of  his  own  proud  and  ambitious  heart.*.  And 
the  Lord  appears, to  have  so  ordered  the  affairs  of 
Europe,  as  to  find  employment  for  the  Emperor  in 
defending  his  ^, dominions  from  foreign  invasion, 
and.ya.promotiiA^^his  owh  ambitious,  designs,  in 
order  to  divert  his  attention  from  the  state  of  re- 
ligion in  Germany,  until  the  rising  cause  of  reform 
had  taken  too  deep  root  to  be  overturned.  Yet, 
the  Lord  surrounds  his  faithful  servants  with  diffi- 
culties .enough  to  try   their  patience,  and  give 

*2d  Kings  18.— Isa.  10  :  5,  6,  7. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  105 

them  an  opportunity  of  trusting  the  promises  of 
his  word.  If  every  thing  went  on  smdothly,  arid 
we  had  no  difficuUies  to  overcome,  we  should  have 
no  chance  to  exercise  faith  in  God.  There  were 
many  cruel  men  in  power,  who  greatly  harrassed 
the  church  of  God:  and  from  them,  many  indi- 
viduals suffered  persecution.  Among  the  former, 
Ferdinand,  arch-duke  of  Austria,  and  brother  of 
the  Emperor,  distinguished  himself  His  sistex 
was  the  wife  of  Christiern  II.,  King  of  Denmark, 
who  was  driven  from  his  country,  because  the  ^ 
people  did  not  like  him.  She  had  read  Luther's 
books,  and  openly  professed  the  reformed  reli- 
gion. As  they  were  leaving  their  country,  with 
twenty  ships,  they  were  overtaken  with  a  storm, 
and  reduced  to  the  last  extremity.  At  length, 
however,  they  landed  in  Zealand.  From  that 
place,  he  sent  to  his  brotlier-in-lav/,  Charles  V., 
hoping  that  he  would  help  him  in  recovering  his 
dominions.  The  queen  also  came  to  Nuremberg 
to  ask  the  aid  of  her  brother  Ferdinand. 

Elizabeth.  Well,  mother,  he  surely  would 
pity  her,  in  her  trouble,  if  she  did  not  think  just 
as  he  did  about  religion. 

Motlier.  You  remember  Christ  tells  us,  that 
the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  shall  separate  friends, 


106 


THE     ANABAPTISTS. 


SO  that  a  man's  foes  shall  be  among  his  own  re- 
lations. So  it  was  in  this  case.  Ferdinand  ha- 
ted the  truth  more  than  he  loved  his  sister.  He 
told  her  he  heartily  wished  she  was  not  his  sis- 
ter ;  and  said  he  would  rather  she  had  been  sunk 
in  the  sea,  than  that  she  should  have  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  doctrines  of  the  Reformer. 

Elizahetli.  O  how  cruel  and  unfeeling  that 
was.  In  her  trouble,  I  should  think  it  would 
have  broken  her  heart.  What  did  she  say  to 
him  ? 

3Iother.  She  said,  "  Certainly  we  are  descend- 
ed from  the  same  mother ;  yet  I  must  adhere 
closely  to  the  word  of  God,  and  to  that  only, 
without  the  least  respect  of  persons.  In  all  other 
matters,  I  am  ready  to  obey  my  brother's  pleas- 
ure. But  if,  on  that  account,  he  refuses  to  own 
me  for  his  sister,  I  shall  try  to  bear  the  cross  pa- 
tiently."— She  related  her  situation  to  the  prin- 
ces at  Nuremberg,  in  such  a  feeling  manner, 
that  every  one  of  them  shed  tears.  Yet,  they 
would  do  nothing  for  her,  because  she  had  em- 
braced the  Reformation.  And  she  died  soon  af- 
ter ;  her  death  being  hastened,  as  was  supposed, 
by  the  unkind  treatment  of  her  relations.  Great 
pains  were  taken,  by  persons   of  distinction,  to 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  107 

pursuade  her  to  return  to  Popery  ;  but  she  re- 
mained firm  to  the  last,  and'died  in  peace,  trust- 
ing in  Jesus. 

Caroline.  O,  mother !  I  don't  see  how  any 
man  could  be  so  cruel  towards  his  own  sister.—^ 
Why  could  he  not  let  her  think  for  herself  about 
religion,  and  love  her  too  ? 

Blotlier.  My  dear,  human  nature  is  the  same 
every  where.  And  proud  and  haughty  people, 
who  are  rich  and  great  in  this  world,  hate  noth- 
ing worse  than  true  religion.  They  cannot  bear 
its  humbling  truths  ;  and  they  will  disown  their 
nearest  relations,  rather  than  see  them  the  hum- 
ble followers  of  Jesus.  Cases  of  persecution  like 
this  are  frequent,  even  at  this  day. 

Samuel.  I  am  glad  to  hear,  mother,  that  the 
Reformation  had  begun  so  early  in  Denmark. 

Blother.  Yes ;  it  is  always  gratifying  to  see 
the  progress  of  the  truth.  About  this  time,  the 
Reformation  began  in  Denmark,  Sweden,  Hun- 
gary, Bohemia  and  Silesia;  but  I  will  not  now 
mention  any  particulars  of  its  progress  in  these 
places,  because  I  mean  to  take  some  of  them  up 
separately,  after  we  get  through  with  Germany. 
But  nowhere  did  the  enemies  of  the  truth  rage 
50  fiercely  as  in  Flanders.     It  was  carried  on  by 


108  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

the  bigoted  and  furious  Alexander*  He  was 
armed  with  the  authority  of  the  Pope,  and  sup- 
ported by  the  united  power  of  the  inquisition  and 
civil  government;  and  he  exercised  vengeance 
without  mercy.  The  writings  of  Luther  were 
read  by  the  Augustine  monks  at  Antwerp,  and 
many  of  them  embraced  his  sentiments.  Some 
of  them  were  shut  up  in  prison,  till  they  recant- 
ed ;  but  three  of  them  remained  firm,  in  spite  of 
persuasion,  threats,  and  long  confinement. 

Samuel.  And  I  suppose  they  were  brought  to 
the  stake. 

Mother.  Yes,  they  were  condemned  to  suffer 
death  ;  and  on  the  day  fixed  for  their  execution, 
the  youngest  of  the  three  was  brought  out  into 
the  market  place.  There,  he  was  directed  to 
kneel  down  before  a  table,  covered  like  a  com- 
munion table.  Every  body  fixed  their  eyes  upon 
him ;  but  he  was  perfectly  calm,  not  showing  the 
least  sigh  of  fear. 

Caroline.  O  how  could  he  feel  so,  mother, 
when  he  knew  they  were  going  to  burn  him 
alive? 

Mother.  Death  had  no  terrors  to  him.  He 
looked  forward  to  the  glories   of  heaven,  which 

*See  "The  Dawn." 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  IC^ 

were  before  him.  Jesus  has  taken  away  the  sting 
of  death,  so  that  those  who  trust  in  him,  have 
nothing  to  fear. 

Peter.  But,  mother,  it  is  so  painful  to  be 
burnt  alive ;  I  should  not  like  to  die  so,  if  I  was 
prepared  to  die. 

Mother.  My  son,  if  you  are  not  willing  to 
suffer  for  Christ's  sake,  Ite  will  not  own  you  as 
one  of  his  followers.  Think  what  he  suffered  for 
us,  of  his  own  accord.  For  he  had  all  power  in 
his  hands,  and  he  might  have  destroyed  his  per- 
secutors with  a  word.  But  he  meekly  bore  it 
all.  He  suffered  far  i^re  than  these  men  did. — 
But  while  they  wf;re  stl-ipping  this  young  man  of 
the  clothes  worn  by  the  priests,  in  order  to  take 
away  his  office,  his  countenance  appeared  com- 
posed and  cheerful,  and  he  seemed  to  be  absorb- 
ed in  prayer  and  holy  meditation.  He  did  every 
thing  they  told  him  rto,  with  perfect  readiness. 
Then  the  two  others  came  forward,  and  passed 
through  the  same  ceremonies.  Soon  after,  two  of 
them,  named  Henry  Voes  and  John  Esch,  were 
led  to  the  stake. 

Elizabeth.  How  did  they  bear  the  fire,  moth- 
er? I  should  think,  after  all,  when  they  come  to 


110 


THE    ANABAPTISTS. 


suffer  the  pain  of  burning,  they  would  shrink 
from  it. 

Blother.  No,  my  dear  ;  they  bore  it  with  cheer- 
fulness and  joy.  The  fire  vias  slow  in  kindUng, 
and  they  stood  almost  naked;  but  they  showed 
not  the  least  symptom  of  irapEtience.  But  when 
the  fire  broke  out,  there  appeared  in  their  coun- 
tenances a  cheerfulne^  not  o  be  described. — 
Many  persons  thought  they  sav  them  smile  in  the 
fire ;  and  they  sung  praises  to  God,  till  their 
mouths  were  stopped  by  the  flames. 

Caroline.  How  ct)uld  they  feel  so,  mother, 
while  scorched  in  the  fire^^ 

Mother.  The  Lord  was'  with  them,  my  dear, 
and  made  them  so  happy  in  tli?ir  souls,  that  it 
overcame  the  pain  of  their  bodies. 

Caroline.  Mother,  if  I  am  ^;  Christian,  will 
Jesus  make  me  so  happy  when  I  iie  ? 

Motlier.  He  will,  my  dear,  if  you  trust  in  him. 
I  have  just  heard  a  story  of  a  litth  girl  not  quite 
four  vears  old,  who  died  not  lonor  icro.  She  had 
pious  parents,  who  had  told  her  about  Jesus;  and 
she  had  been  to  the  Infant  Sal^bath  School^ 
where  she  had  heard  about  death,  and  hell,  and 
about  Jesus  and  heaven.     Tiiere,  she  had  heard 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  Ill 

the  teacher  tell  her  about  the  "  Valley  of  the 
Shadow  of  Death."  She  knew  that  this  meant 
death  ;  but  she  thought  it  was  passing  through  a 
dark  and  dismal  Valley.  But  on  Monday  morn- 
ing, she  was  taken  with  the  scarlet  fever,  and 
died  on  Wednesday.  On  the  morning  of  the  day 
she  died,  she  was  told  that  she  would  not  get 
well;  and  she  said  to  her  mother,  "Mother,  I 
am  going  through  the  Valley  of  the  sJiaduw  of 
death;  I  don't  want  to  go  alone.  Won't  you  go 
with  me  ?"  "  No,  ray  darling,"  said  her  mother  ; 
*'  the  Lord  is  not  ready  to  take  me  yet ;  I  cannot 
go  with  you  now."  This  grieved  her  very  much; 
but  she  turned  to  her  father, and  said,  "  My  dear' 
father,  won't  you  go  with  me,  through  the  Valley 
of  the  shadow  of  death?"  But  he  gave  her  the. 
same  answer  that  her  mother  did.  Then  she 
was  almost  broken-hearted,  to  think  that  neither 
her  father  nor  mother* would  go  with  her  through 
the  dark' valley.  So  she  turned  away  her  head 
to  the  wall,  and  cried  as  if  she  would  break  her 
heart,  for  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes.  Then  she 
turned  round,  with  a  sweet  smile,  and  said,  "  O 
I  have  found  somebody  that  will  go  with  me 
through  the  Valley  of  the  Shadow  of  death. — 
Jesus  will  go  with  me."     From  that  time,    she 


112  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

gave  bright  evidence  of  faith  in  Christ,  till  she 
died  in  the  sweet  expectation  of  heaven  and  eter- 
nal joy. 

Cai^Une.  O,  mother,  I'll  not  wait  till  I  am 
sick  and  ready  to  die,  before  I  go  to  Jesus.  I  will 
go  to  him  now.  I  will  give  him  my  heart,  and 
love  him  and  serve  him  and  trust  in  him  while  I 
live ;  and  then,  when  I  die,  he  will  go  with  me 
through  the  dark  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death, 
and  be  with  me  in  glory  forever. 

Mother.  Yes,  my  dear ;  although  people  some- 
times find  Jesus  on  their  death-beds ;  yet,  it  is  a 
dangerous  thing  to  trust  in  the  prospect  of  death- 
bed repentance.  Many  people  die  suddenly, 
without  having  time  to  think  of  their  souls. — 
And  generally,  when  people  are  sick,  they  are  in 
such  pain,  and  are  so  weak  that  they  can't  think 
about  God  and  eternity.  But,  supposing  you 
could  be  sure  of  repenting  and  coming  to  Christ, 
on  your  death-bed,  it  would  be  treating  God  very 
ill.  It  would  be  saying  to  him,  "I  will  live  for 
myself,  as  long  as  life  is  worth  any  thing ;  but 
just  before  I  die,  I  will  give  myself  to  thee." 

Peter.  No,  mother,  I  won't  be  so  mean  as 
that.  I  will  give  God  my  best  days ;  and  when 
I  come  to  die,  I  can  die  in  peace. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  llB 

Mother.  I  never  heard  of  any  body  that  was 
sorry  for  being  religious  while  young;  and  I  nev- 
er heard  of  any  one  that  came  to  Christ,  after  he 
got  to  be  old,  or  on  a  death-bed,  that  was  not 
very  sorry  he  did  not  come  to  him  before.  Re- 
member, my  children,  every  hour  you  remain  in 
sin,  you  are  making  bitter  work  for  yourselves. 
You  are  at  enmity  against  God,  and  every  mo- 
ment increasing,  at  a  fearful  rate,  your  sins.  If 
you  ever  come  to  Christ,  you  will  have  all  this  to 
repent  of.  The  Bible  says  that  sinners  are  lost. 
Did  you  ever  get  lost,  any  of  you  ? 

Samuel.  Yes,  mother  ;  when  I  was  going  to 
uncle  Joseph's,  the  first  time,  I  took  the  wrong 
road,  and  went  on  in  it  for  two  hours,  before  I 
found  I  was  wrong.  Then,  I  had  to  turn  about 
and  go  back  just  the  way  I  came ;  and  when  I 
got  back,  I  found  that  I  was  no  nearer  uncle's 
house  than  I  was  four  hours  befo^p.  . .  «»if- 

Mother.  Well;  just  so  it  is '^Avith  sinners.— • 
They  are  lost,  and  going  right  away  from  God; 
and  the  longer  they  go  on  in  this  way,  the  further 
will  they  have  to  com.e  back.  But  only  think^ 
how  dreadful  to  suffer  the  ''  vengeance  of  eternal 
fire/'  with  no  support  from  God ;  but  with  a  sense 


114  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

of  his  just  displeasure,  and  the  reproach  of  a  guil- 
ty conscience. 

Peter.     O,  that  is  dreadful  indeed,  mother. 

Mother.  But  it  is  the  portion  of  all  those  who 
do  not  repent  and  forsake  their  sins,  and  embrace 
Jesus  as  their  Saviour. 

Samuel.  Mother,  the  case  of  these  men  is  al- 
most exactly  like  that  of  the  early  Christian  mar- 
tyrs, who  suffered  under  the  Pagan  government 
of  Rome.  It  seems  as  if  the  church  of  Rome 
had  taken  the  place  of  Pagan  Rome. 

Mother.  There  is  no  doubt  of  it,  my  son ;  and 
here  are  a  few  things  I  wish  you,  particularly,  to 
notice:  1.  The  enmity  of  the  natural  heart, 
against  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  is  the  same  in 
all  ages,  in  whatever  different  forms  it  may  ap- 
pear. Formerly,  Christians  were  persecuted  by 
the  heathen,  who  had  the  power  in  their  hands. 
r*y|3W,;  they  wej^, persecuted  by  men  who  profess- 
ed to  be  Christians,  and  yet  knew*  nothing  of  heart 
religion.  2.  You  see  the  evils  of  the  union  of 
church  and  state,  or  of  religion  with  the  civil 
government.  It  necessarily  leads  to  persecution. 
Before  the  days  of  Constantine  the  Great,  Idola- 
try was  the  established  religion  of  the  Roman  em- 
pire.    Of  course.  Christians  must  be  persecuted. 


THE    AXABAPTISTS.  115 

After  the  Christian  religion  was  established  by 
law,  it  soon  lost  its  power  over  men's  hearts. 
They  changed  its  character,  so  as  to  suit  it  to  the 
depraved  feelings  of  woildly  and  wicked  men. 
Then,  when  true  religion  was  revived,  it  was  met 
with  the  same  bitter  hatred  and  persecution, 
which  it  had  before  receiwd  from  Pagan  Rome. 
3.  This  case  furnishes  conclusive  evidence,  that 
the  spirit  of  true  religion  was  among  the  Reform- 
ers, and  not  among  the  Papists.  The  former 
stand  in  the  place  of  the  primitive  martyrs ;  while 
the  latter  have  stept  into  the  shoes  of  the  heathen 
persecutors.  4.  Wherever  there  are  general  re- 
vivals of  religion,  the  same  spirit  of  opposition 
and  persecution  will  manifest  itself,  just  in  pro- 
portion to  the  zeal  and  holy  living  of  God's  peo- 
ple, and  the  hardness  of  heart  and  obstinacy  of 
his  enemies.  Unconverted  meri:  cannot  bear  to 
have  the  claims  of  God  urged  upon  them  ;  and 
when  they  are,  they  will  oppose,  and  if  they  have 
the  power,  they  will  persecute  thos%who  do  so. 

Peter.  Mother,  what  became  of  the  other 
man,  who  was  not  led  to  the  stake  ? 

Mother.  Luther  says  he  was  burned  at  the 
stake  four  days  after;  but  Erasmus  says  he  was 
taken  back  to  prison,  and   there  privately  put  to 


116  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

death.  If  this  is  true,  it  was  done  to  prevent  the 
effect  of  the  public  execution  upon  the  people. — 
His  name  was  Lambert  Thorn  ;  and  while  he  was 
in  prison,  Luther  wrote  him  a  letter,  full  of  en- 
couragement and  Christian  consolation. 

Elizabeth.  Did  the  burning  of  these  holy  men 
do  the  cause  of  Papists  any  good,  mother  ? 

Mother.  Erasmus  says  that  Brussels  had  been 
free  from'heretics,  before  this ;  but,  immtvdiately 
afterwards,  many  of  the  inhabitants  began  to  favor 
Lutheranism. 

Samuel.  That  is  always  the  way  with  perse- 
cution, mother.  *'  The  blood  of  the  martyrs  is 
the  seed  of  the  church." 

Mother.  Yes,  nothing-  was  ever  nearer  the 
truth  than  that  saying.  The  modest  behavior 
and  unshaken  fortitude  of  these  sufferers  made  a 
great  impression  upon  the  public  mind.  Tlie 
martyrs  were  considered  innocent,  and  the  judges 
who  had  condemned  them,  unjust  and  cruel. — 
But  we  hav»  had  a  long  talk  this  evening.  It  is 
time  for  us  to  retire. 

aUESTIONS. 
What  was  the  state  of  the  Reformation,  after  the  Diet  of  Nurem- 
berg ?  What  prevented  the  enemies  of  the  Reformation,  at  this  crit- 
ical period,  from  putting  it  down  ?  Can  you  give  an  account  of  the 
persecution  of  tlie  aueen  of  Denmark?  Can  you  give  an  account  of 
the  persecution  in  Flanders,  and  the  martyrdom  of  Voes  and  Esch  ? 
What  effect  had  this  up  on  the  Reformation  ? 


CONVERSATION  VI. 

Luther's  Letter  to  the  Duke  of  Savoy— Election  of  Clement  VII— 
Diet  of  Nuremberg— Confederacy  of  Ratisbon— Convention  of 
Spires— Persecution— Martyrdom  of  Henry  Muller. 

Caroline.  Mother,  I  want  to  hear  more  about 
good  Martin  Luther. 

Mother.  About  this  time,  a  French  gentleman 
informed  Luther  that  Charles,  duke  of  Savoy, 
was  inclined  to  favor  the  Reformation. 

Elizabeth.  The  duke  of  Savoy,  mother?  I 
believe  he  is  an  old  acquaintance.  We  had  a 
great  deal  to  say  about  the  duke  of  Savoy,  when 
we  were  talking  about  the  Waldenses. 

Mother.  Yes,  my  dear ;  and  you  remember 
that  most  of  the  dukes  of  Savoy  were  too  mode- 
rate in  their  feelings,  to  allow  the  Papists  to  per- 
secute the  poor  Waldenses,  as  they  wished, — Lu- 
ther wrote  a  letter  to  the  duke,  giving  him  an 
account  of  the  principles  of  the  Reformation,  and 
exhorting  him  to  promote  it  in  his  own  dominions. 

8 


118  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

I  will  read  some  parts  of  this  letter,  because  it 
shows  the  true  doctrines  of  the  Reformation. — 
After  introducing  the  subject,  he  says,  "  Our  first 
article  is,  that  we  are  saved  through  faith  in 
Christ  alone ;  who  does  not  blot  out  our  sins  on 
account  of  our  works  ;  but  destroys  the  power  of 
death.  This  faith,  we  say,  is  the  gift  of  God  ; 
and  that  it  is  produced  in  the  heart  by  the  spirit  of 
God.  Faith  is  something  that  is  alive,  and  pro- 
duces a  change  in  the  whole  man.  This  great 
truth  overturns  the  whole  Popish  doctrine  of  satis- 
factions and  works  of  merit ;  which  is  truly 
abominable  in  the  sight  of  God  ;  for  if  sin  can  be 
done  away,  and  pardon  obtained  by  our  own 
works,  then  it  is  not  by  the  blood  of  Christ ;  and 
if  it  is  by  the  blood  of  Christ,  it  is  not  by  our 
own  works.  To  trust  in  our  own  works,  and 
seek  salvation  by  them,  is  in  fact  to  deny  the  Lord 
that  bought  us." 

Elizaheth.  Mother,  I  was  talking  with  Jane 
Clark,  the  other  day,  and  she  said  she  was  trying 
to  do  as  well  as  she  could,  and  she  thought  if  she 
kept  on  so,  God  would  have  mercy  on  her,  and 
she  should  be  saved  at  last.  Was  not  that  trust- 
ing in  her  own  works  1 

Mother.     Yes ;  as  long  as  she   thinks  she   is 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  119 

doing  as  well  as  she  can,  and  that  God  will  save 
her  on  that  account,  she  is  trusting  in  her  own 
works. 

Samuel.  Well,  Mr.  Brown  says  he  has  never 
injured  any  body  in  his  life.  He  is  kind  to  his 
neighbors  and  to  the  poor  ;  and  he  does  not  think 
God  will  punish  him  in  hell  forever. 

Mother.  He  is  trusting  in  his  works  ;  and  in 
order  to  be  saved,  he  must  be  perfect.  He  for- 
gets that  he  has  any  duties  towards  God.  He 
forgets  that  God,  as  his  Creator  and  Preserver, 
has  the  first  claim  to  his  service.  If  he  would  be 
saved  by  doing  well,  he  must  love  God  with  all 
Ms  heart,  and  his  neighbor  as  himself.  He 
knows  that  he  does  neither ;  and  when  he  comes 
to  stand  before  the  bar  of  God,  his  own  con- 
science will  condemn  him. 

Caroline.  Mother,  I  was  talking  with  cousin 
Mary,  the  other  day,  and  she  said  she  had  a  hope. 
Then  I  asked  her  what  made  her  have  a  hope ; 
and  she  said  because  she  prayed  every  morning 
and  evening ;  and  when  she  heard  about  heaven 
and  hell,  and  about  God,  she  always  cried.  But 
I  told  her  if  praying  or  crying  would  save  us, 
there  was  no  need  of  Christ. 

Mother.     You  were  right,  my  dear.     It  is  im- 


120  THE     ANABAPTISTS. 

possible  to  tell  how  many  false  hopes  are  built  on 
such  foundations.  No  matter  what  we  do,  if  we 
trust  in  any  thing  but  the  sufferings,  death,  and 
grace  of  Christ,  to  save  us,  we  shall  be  disap- 
pointed at  last. 

Samuel.  Well,  mother,  what  was  Luther's 
second  article  of  faith  ? 

Mother.  He  says,  "  In  our  second  article,  we 
maintain  that  those  who  are  justified  by  faith,  and 
whose  sins  and  sinful  nature  are  subdued  by 
Christ,  must  take  care  to  bring  forth  good  fruit 
in  their  lives.  By  this,  we  do  not  mean  that  these 
good  works  make  us  good.  The  good  fruit  does 
not  make  the  tree  good ;  but  when  we  see  good 
fruit  on  a  tree,  we  know  that  the  tree  is  good. — 
The  works,  then,  which  we  exhort  men  to  per- 
form, are  such  as  are  of  use  to  mankind,  and  by 
no  means  such  as  are  done  with  the  intention  of 
purchasing  heaven  for  ourselves.  This  is  the  ru- 
inous idea,  belonging  to  the  Papel  system,  which 
is  so  opposite  to  pure  Christianity."  He  then 
goes  on  to  expose  a  great  many  abuses  of  Popery, 
and  concludes  his  letter  by  saying,  '^  These,  my 
illustrious  prince,  are  the  chief  doctrines  which  I 
would  wish  you  most  strenuously  to  patronize  in 
public,  as  you  have  already  begun  to  do.     But  let 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  121 

there  be  no  compulsion ;  no  resort  to  the  sword. 
In  that  way,  nothing  will  prosper.  All  I  request 
is,  that,  under  your  government,  those  who  sin- 
cerely preach  the  Gospel,  may  be  protected,  and 
known  to  be  in  no  danger.  This  is  the  way  in 
which  Christ  will  destroy  Anti-Christ  by  the 
breath  of  his  mouth." 

Samuel.  I  am  glad  to  hear  Luther  so  distinct- 
ly condemn  the  use  of  force  in  religion.  I  think 
it  shows  that  the  charge  of  persecution,  so  often 
made  against  the  Reformers,  did  not  apply  to  him. 

Peter.  Mother,  it  is  a  great  while  since  you 
told  us  of  the  death  of  Adrian  ;  but  you  have  not 
told  us  who  was  Pope  after  him. 

Mother.  Julius  de  Medicis  was  elected  Pope 
in  November,  1523.  He  took  the  name  of  Clem- 
ent VII. 

Elizabeth.  What  sort  of  a  man  was  he, 
mother  1 

Mother.  He  was  much  superior  to  Adrian  in 
the  arts  of  government ;  but  he  was  not  so  good  a 
man.  He  was  elected  by  unfair  means  ;  and  was 
therefore  determined,  if  possible  to  prevent  the 
calling  of  a  council,  lest  they  should  take  away 
his  office.  In  the  latter  part  of  this  year,  the  Diet 
of  Germany  met  at  Nuremberg ;  and  the  Pope 


123 


THE    ANABAPTISTS. 


sent  Cardinal  Campeggio,  an  able  and  cunning 
man,  to  represent  him  at  the  Diet.  The  Empe- 
ror was  hindered,  by  other  concerns,  from  attend- 
ing this  Diet.  The  Elector  Frederic  appeared 
at  the  beginning  of  the  session  j  but  he  was  old 
and  infirm,  and  he  found  that  there  would  be 
much  violence  and  confusion  in  the  proceedings 
of  the  Diet,  and  so  he  went  home  before  any  bu- 
siness of  importance  was  done,  and  before  the 
Pope's  legate  had  arrived,  Campeggio  arrived 
in  March,  1524  ;  but  the  princes  advised  him  not 
to  enter  Nuremberg  with  the  usual  pomp  and  cer- 
emony ;  for  lately,  while  passing  through  Augs- 
burg, the  people  had  treated  him  with  irreverence, 
and  even  ridiculed  him  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
make  his  own  people  laugh. 

Samuel.  I  think  that  shows  a  great  change  in 
the  feelings  of  the  people  towards  Popery. 

Mother.  Yes,  my  son  ;  but  it  does  not  show  a 
corresponding  advance  of  true  religion ;  for  the 
spirit  of  Christ  never  manifests  itself  in  such  a 
way.  However,  there  is  no  doubt  that  true  re- 
ligion had  made  great  progress. — On  the  arrival 
of  the  legate,  Ferdinand,  the  Emperor's  brother, 
reproached  the  senate  of  Nuremberg  for  their  at- 
tachment to  Lutheranism  ;  and  exhorted  them  to 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  128 

adhere  to  the  ancient  religious  system.  But  they 
told  him,  decidedly,  that  they  must  not  desert  the 
truth.  One  of  the  preachers  of  that  city,  was 
bold  enough  to  declare  publicly,  in  his  sermon, 
that  Anti-Christ  entered  Rome  on  the  very  day 
that  the  Emperor  Constantino  left  it. 

Elizabeth.  How  durst  he  preach  in  that  way, 
mother,  when  the  Popish  governors  were  there. 

Mother.  I  suppose  he  felt  bound  to  speak  the 
truth,  without  regard  to  the  consequences.  But 
the  legate  was  greatly  offended.  Clement  was 
very  artful  in  his  endeavors  to  gain  the  good  will 
of  the  German  princes.  He  wrote  a  very  flatter- 
ing letter  to  Frederic,  in  which  he  did  not  even 
name  Luther ;  but  requested  him  to  confer  with 
Cardinal  Campeggio,  for  the  public  good,  and  to 
do  all  he  could  to  compose  the  disturbances  in 
Germany. 

Samuel.  But  I  suppose  Frederic  was  too  wise 
to  be  deceived  by  him. 

Mother.  Yes ;  he  had  seen  enough  before,  to 
know  how  much  dependence  to  place  upon  the 
professions  of  the  Pope.  And  before  he  left  Nu- 
remberg, he  told  Feilitch,  his  representative  at 
the  Diet,  to  have  nothing  to  say  to  Cardinal  Cam- 
peggio ;  and  to  protest  against  any  concessions 
which  might  be  made  to  him,  by  the  Diet.     But 


124  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

Campeggio  was  very  much  disappointed,  in  not 
finding  the  Elector  at  the  Diet.  In  a  letter  to 
this  prince,  he  says,  "  I  have  been  much  vexed 
and  mortified  to  find  your  highness  unexpectedly 
gone.  My  master's  letters  to  you  are  concise. — 
But  he  has  directed  me  to  tell  you,  in  his  name, 
a  great  many  things,  which  cannot  be  delayed, 
or  properly  discussed  by  letter."  He  then  went 
on,  in  an  artful  strain,  to  praise  the  wisdom  and 
piety  of  the  Elector,  and  to  abuse  the  Reformers. 
This  letter,  however,  with  those  from  the  Pope  to 
the  Prince,  was  a  piece  of  downright  hypocrisy, 
designed  to  deceive  Frederic,  and  bring  him  into 
their  measures  for  putting  a  stop  to  all  Reforma- 
tion in  the  church ;  for  Campeggio  was  instruct- 
ed to  use  all  his  endeavors  to  have  the  Edict  of 
Worms  carried  into  effect,  to  prevent  the  calling 
of  a  general  Council. 

Samuel.  Did  the  Pope  send  any  answer  to  the 
hundred  grievances,  sent  to  Rome  by  the  last 
Diet? 

Mother.  The  Cardinal  labored  with  all  his 
might,  both  with  individual  members,  and  in  the 
public  assemblies  of  the  Diet,  to  effect  the  objects 
of  his  commission.  He  addressed  the  Diet  in  a 
most  plausible   strain,  about  the  compassion  of 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  125 

the  Pope  for  the  present  situation  of  the  country, 
and  his  own  inclinations  to  peace  and  modera- 
tion. But  he  said  he  was  astonished  that  so 
many  great  princes  could  tolerate  the  mischiev- 
ous innovations  in  religion,  which  had  lately  ta- 
ken place  in  Germany.  But  after  listening  to 
many  unmeaning  promises  and  declarations,  the 
Diet  asked  him  what  were  the  Pope's  intentions, 
respecting  the  methods  they  had  proposed,  at  the 
last  Diet,  for  restoring  the  peace  of  the  country  ; 
and  whether  he  was  charged  with  any  satisfacto- 
ry answer  to  the  memorial  of  grievances,  which 
they  had  sent  to  Rome. 

Samuel.  I  think  it  would  require  all  his  cun- 
ning to  give  a  satisfactory  answer  to  these  ques- 
tions. 

Mother.  In  his  answer,  were  united  hypocrisy, 
cunning,  and  impudence.  He  said  he  knew  of 
no  plan  contrived  by  them,  for  composing  the  re- 
ligious differences,  but  the  Edict  of  Worms,  which 
had  not  been  obeyed ;  and  which,  in  his  judg- 
ment, ought  to  claim  their  earliest  attention.  As 
to  the  memorial  of  grievances,  he  acknowledged 
that  three  copies  of  it  had  found  their  way  to  pri- 
vate persons,  and  he  had  seen  one  of  them  him- 
self; but  that  the  Pope   and  Cardinals  thought  it 


126 


THE    ANABAPTISTS. 


was  the  production  of  some  private  person,  but  by 
no  means  of  the  German  princes.  There  were 
articles  in  it,  he  said,  which  even  bordered  upon 
heresy ;  and  the  publication  of  them  was  highly 
disrespectful  to  the  Roman  See.  He  had  no 
instructions  about  it. 

Samuel.  That  was  an  impudent  answer,  in- 
deed, mother,  I  think  he  would  not  gain  much, 
by  treating  the  hardy  German  princes  in  this 
way. 

Mother.  No,  my  son;  though  the  Emperor 
was  very  anxious  to  gain  the  Pope  to  his  inter- 
ests, and  therefore,  through  his  brother  Ferdinand, 
warmly  seconded  the  complaints  of  Campeggio, 
against  the  German  princes,  for  their  lenity  to- 
wards Luther  ;  yet,  the  Papists  gained  no  ground 
at  this  Diet.  The  princes  promised  to  observe 
the  Edict  of  Worms,  as  far  as  they  could. 

Samuel.  That  was  a  good  way  to  creep  out, 
mother  ;  for  they  might  very  easily  say  they  could 
not  execute  it  at  all. 

Mother.  Yes ;  and  that  might  be  very  true, 
too ;  for  in  the  present  state  of  Germany,  that 
Edict  could  not  be  executed  without  producing 
tumults  and  civil  war. — The  Papists  did  not  like 
it.     ''  These  words  were  inserted,"  says  one  of 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  127 

their  writers,  "  that  men  might  be  at  full  liberty 
to  do  nothing  in  obedience  to  the  Edict  of  Worms  ; 
and  so  it  actually  turned  out."  The  Diet  also  re- 
newed their  demand  of  a  general  council,  and 
appointed  a  new  assembly  of  the  States  General 
to  be  held  at  Spires,  in  November  of  the  same 
year,  to  make  regulations  for  the  settlement  of  all 
matters  of  dispute,  till  the  council  could  be  called. 
— The  majority  of  the  votes  were  opposed  to  the 
execution  of  the  Edict  of  Worms  in  any  way. 
Yet  such  were  the  clamors  of  the  prelates,  that 
they  carried  their  points  almost  by  force.  The 
lower  orders  and  states  of  the  Empire  protested 
against  these  irregular  proceedings.  The  repre- 
sentative of  the  Elector  of  Saxony  complained 
that  the  Edict  of  Worms  was  obtained  by  a. 
manoeuvre  of  the  bishops,  against  the  sense  of  the 
Diet;  and  that  it  had  never  been  officially  made 
known  to  him  or  his  brother  John.  But  the  im- 
portant resolution  at  Nuremberg,  which  enjoined 
the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  was  the  result  of  ma- 
ture deliberation,  and  had  been  published  every 
where.  His  master,  he  said,  could  not  approve 
of  the  present  silence,  in  regard  to  the  danger  of 
attempting  to  execute  the  Edict  of  Worms,  and 
the  earnest  desire  of  the  princes  for  the   free 


128  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

propagation  of  Christian  truth ;  on  which  points 
the  former  Diet  had  distinctly  explained  them- 
selves to  Chevegato.  But  the  proceedings  of  this 
Diet  were  not  satisfactory  to  any  body.  The  Em- 
peror, in  his  letters  to  his  brother  Ferdinand  and 
tlie  princes,  expressed  his  utter  indignation  at 
what  had  passed.  But  as  he  knew  he  was  una- 
ble to  make  the  princes  obey  his  commands,  he 
sent  the  letters  to  his  brother,  telling  him  not  to 
let  the'princes  see  them,  if  he  thought  they  would 
treat  him  with  contempt.  But  Ferdinand  was 
not  prudent  enough  to  keep  them  to  himself;  and 
as  the  independent  spirit  of  the  German  princes 
was  not  used  to  such  haughty  language,  they  be- 
gan to  resist  such  encroachments  upon  their  lib- 
erties ;  and  so  the  Emperor's  authority,  by  this 
folly,  was  greatly  weakened.  The  Emperor  even 
abused  the  Elector  of  Saxony.  In  writing  to  him, 
he  said  it  belonged  to  himself  and  the  Pope  to 
call  councils  and  to  fix  on  the  place  where  they 
should  meet.  He  forbade  the  princes  to  meet  at 
Spires,  and  commanded  the  strictest  observance 
of  the  Edict  of  Worms.  He  called  Luther  a  pro- 
fane SAVAGE,  who,  like  Mohammed,  was  aiming 
at  great  power  by  poisoning  men's  minds  by  his 
agreeable  doctrines. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  129 

Samuel.  I  think  he  was  mistaken  there.  The 
doctrines  preached  by  Luther  are  just  what  sin- 
ners hate.  But  what  did  the  good  Frederic  say 
to  him  1 

Mother.  He  remembered  the  words  of  Solo- 
mon, ''  A  soft  answer  turneth  away  wrath."  He 
wrote  the  Emperor  a  modest  and  respectful  an- 
swer ;  and  sent  him  a  copy  of  the  protest  he  had 
made  against  the  decree  of  the  Diet. 

Elizabeth.  But  how  were  the  proceedings  of 
this  Diet  received  at  Rome  ? 

Mother.  They  produced  both  astonishment 
and  alarm.  The  Pope  was  in  great  fear  of  the 
intended  assembly  at  Spires.  He  immediately 
called  together  his  Cardinals,  to  consult  about 
the  matter.  Campeggio  was  directed  to  call  to- 
gether all  the  princes,  bishops,  and  other  great 
persons  in  Germany,  who  were  friendly  to  the 
church  of  Rome,  and  give  them  fair  promises  of 
a  future  council ;  but  at  the  same  time  to  repre- 
sent to  them  the  difficulty  of  calling  one  in  time 
of  war.  He  was  directed  to  tell  them  that  their 
grievances  might  be  redressed  at  Rome ;  but  to 
request  them,  by  all  means,  to  prevent,  if  possi- 
ble, the  discussion  of  religious  matters  in  the  as- 
sembly at  Spires.    Finally,  he  was  to  try,  through 


130  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

the  influence  of  the  Emperor,  to  prevent  or  delay 
the  meeting  of  that  assembly.  The  Pope  also  re- 
solved to  apply  to  the  kings  of  England  and  Por- 
tugal for  aid ;  and  as  he  could  not  gain  the  vir- 
tuos  Elector  of  Saxony  to  his  cause,  either  by 
flattery  or  threats,  he  thought  of  degrading  him 
from  his  office,  by  declaring  him  a  heretic. 

Samuel.  Mother,  it  is  distressing  to  think  of 
the  hypocrisy,  intrigue,  and  entire  want  of  prin- 
ciple,*vi'hich  prevailed  among  those  who  professed 
to  stand  at  the  head  of  the  church  of  Christ. 
But  how  did  Luther  himself  like  the  proceed- 
ings? 

Mother.  He  was  no  better  satisfied  than  the 
Pope  and  the  Emperor.  He  thought  it  inconsis- 
tent that,  while  his  conduct  was  to  be  examined 
by  the  assembly  of  Spires,  he  was  still  to  be  subject 
to  the  Edict  of  Worms.  If  there  was  any  reason 
for  giving  him  another  hearing,  he  thought  that 
was  sufficient  for  suspending  the  sentence  by 
which  he  was  already  condemned.  As  soon  as 
he  received  a  copy  of  the  Edict  of  this  last  Diet, 
he  had  it  printed  along  with  the  Edict  of  Worms, 
with  many  severe  remarks  of  his  own.  During 
the  sitting  of  the  Diet,  he  wrote  a  letter  to  Spa- 
latinus,  in   which  he    says,    "I  wish  our  simple 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  131 

princes  and  bishops  would,  at  length,  open  their 
eyes,  and  see  that  the  present  revolution  in  re- 
ligion, is  not  brought  about  by  Luther,  who  is 
really  nobody ;  but  by  the  Omnipotence  of  Christ 
himself ;  and  may  they  have  grace  afforded  them 
to  see,  also,  that  they  have  hitherto  done  all  they 
could  to  oppose  and  resist  his  will." 

Elizabeth.  Well,  mother,  what  did  Cardinal 
Campeggio  do,  after  this  1 

Mother.  Having  Cailed  to  influence  the  Diet, 
as  he  had  hoped,  his  next  object  was  to  secure  a 
determined  confederacy  of  the  friends  of  the  Pope. 
So,  in  July,  1524,  he  collected  togelher,  at 
Ratisbon,  the  Emperor's  brother  Ferdinand, 
the  two  dukes  of  Bavaria,  the  ach-bishop  of 
Saltzburg,  and  several  other  bishops.  These 
he  persuaded  to  bind  themselves  by  a  new  decla- 
ration, to  execute  the  Edict  of  Worms,  against 
Luther  and  his  followers ;  to  adhere  to  the  Po- 
pish manner  of  administering  the  sacrament ;  to 
punish  the  apostate  monks  and  married  priests ; 
to  bring  home  from  Wittemberg  all  such  students 
as  were  their  own  subjects;  to  allow  no  Luther- 
ans, banished  from  other  places,  to  remain  in 
their  dominions ;  and  in  case  of  rebellion,  to  pro- 
tect and  assist  each  other  with  all  their  force. 


132  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

Samuel.  That  was  a  high-handed  moveraent, 
mother.  What  effect  did  it  have  upon  the  cause 
of  the  Reformation? 

Mother.  It  was  one  of  those  desperate  move- 
ments, which  the  blind  supporters  of  a  bad  cause 
generally  make.  If  they  had  seen  what  was  for 
their  good,  they  would  have  done  all  they  could 
to  avoid  an  open  division.  But  the  effect  of  this 
measure  was  to  bring  it  about  immediately. 
Those  princes  who  favored  the  Reformation, 
were  under  the  necessity  of  forming  a  similar  un- 
ion, in  their  own  defence.  Accordingly,  those 
members  of  the  Imperial  Diet  who  had  disa- 
greed with  Cardinal  Campeggio,  met  at  Spires  in 
the  same  month  of  July,  and  explained  the  de- 
crees of  Nuremberg  in  favor  of  the  growing 
cause  of  the  Reformation.  The  motives  which 
brought  these  two  conventions  together,  were  di- 
rectly opposite.  The  members  of  the  confedera- 
cy of  Ratisbon,  all  had  some  personal  object  to 
accomplish.  The  dignity  and  authority  of  the 
Pope  was  at  stake  :  it  was  necessary  that  he 
should  do  something  to  sustain  them.  The  am- 
bitious schemes  of  Charles  V.  made  it  necessary 
for  him  to  buy  the  favor  of  the  Pope,  at  any  price. 
Ferdinand  was  trying  secretly  to  obtain  his  elec- 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  133 

tion,  as  king  of  the  Romans.  The  two  dukes 
of  Bavaria  were  bribed  into  this  measure,  by 
one  fifth  of  all  the  revenues  of  the  higher  clergy, 
in  their  dominions,  for  five  years ;  and  these 
clergy  were  satisfied  for  this,  by  being  allowed 
to  escape  all  reform ;  while  several  laws  were 
passed,  bearing  severely  upon  the  inferior  clergy. 

Elizabeth.  O  how  could  men  pretend  to  be 
acting  for  the  cause  of  religion,  when  they  were 
governed  by  such  motives  as  these  ? 

Mother.  Ambitious  men  soon  lose  all  con- 
science, and  stop  at  no  measures  to  obtain  their 
own  ends. 

Samuel.  Were  the  motives  of  the  men  that 
formed  the  convention  at  Spires,  any  better, 
mother  1 

Mother.  We  have  no  reason  to  believe  that 
they  were  all  influenced  by  a  regard  for  true  re- 
ligion, and  the  interests  of  Christ's  kingdom ;  yet 
the  motives  ofnone  of  them  appear  to  have  been 
so  low  and  mean  as  those  of  the  confederacy  at 
Ratisbon.  They  were  defending  their  own  lib- 
erties ;  and  many  of  them  were  sincerely  desirous 
of  establishing  a  reformed  and  pure  religion. 

Samuel.     So  it  seems  the  Lord  ordered  things 
so  as  to  make  the  Papists  defeat  their  own  ends. 
10 


134  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

Mother.  Yes ;  this  division  of  Germany  into 
two  parties,  though  in  itself  a  bad  thing,  was 
the  means  of  helping  the  cause  of  the  Reforma- 
tion. So,  you  see  again,  how  God  can  overrule 
things,  in  themselves  evils  to  promote  his  own 
purposes  and  glory.  About  the  middle  of  this 
year,  the  Landgrave  of  Hesse  began  to  profess 
a  decided  partiality  for  the  reformed  religion. 
He  issued  a  public  proclamation,  requiring  the 
preachers  in  his  dominions  to  confine  themselves 
to  the  clear  and  simple  doctrines  of  Christ  and 
his  apostles.  Upon  this,  Nicolaus  Ferber,  a 
Franciscan  monk,  put  into  his  hands  a  book, 
which  he  called  an  approved  treatise  on  religion, 
and  exhorted  him  to  imitate  the  kings  and  prin- 
ces in  Italy,  France,  and  Spain,  who  had  agreed 
to  punish  the  Lutherans.  The  prince  read  the 
monk's  book;  but  told  him  he  found  little  in  it 
which  appeared  like  the  charitable  spirit  of  a 
true  Christian.  He  said  he  had  no  design  of 
changing  the  ancient  customs  which  were  found- 
ed in  Scripture ;  but  he  could  not  agree  with  the 
monk  in  denying  the  doctrine  of  justification  by 
faith,  because  it  was  plainly  taught  in  the  Bible  ; 
and   he    highly  disapproved  of  his   representing 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  135 

the  Virgin  Mary  as  a  Mediator  between  God  and 
man,  and  the  Gospel  as  a  thing  that  ought  not 
to  be  preached  to  the  common  people. 

Samuel.     That  was   a   very  sensible    answer, 
mother. 

Mother.  About  the  same  time,  the  Lord  rais- 
ed up  another  zealous  friend  of  the  Reformation, 
in  Albert,  Marquis  of  Brandenburg.  He  was  at 
the  late  Diet  at  Nuremberg,  where  he  heard  one 
of  the  Reformers  preach.  He  had  before  seen 
and  conversed  with  Luther,  and  read  his  books 
with  attention.  He  now  became  an  open  and 
avowed  defender  of  the  Reformation.  Prussia, 
soon  after,  felt  the  effects  of  this  change.  The 
pagans  of  that  country  had  long  before  been 
converted,  by  force,  to  nominal  Christianity. 
Now,  under  the  protection  and  encouragement 
of  Albert,  a  substantial  change,  both  in  doc- 
trine and  practice,  commenced  among  them, 
and  gained  ground  very  fast.  Lutheran  minis- 
ters labored  in  Prussia  with  great  success. — 
George  de  Polentz,  bishop  of  Samland,  distin- 
guished himself  in  this  reformation.  He  was 
the  first  bishop  who  ventured  to  recommend  to 
his  clergy  the  study  of  Luther's  writings.  In  his 
public  advice   to  his  clergy,  he   laments   the  ig- 


136  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

norance  of  the  people ;  and  exhorts  them  to  per- 
form service  in  their  own  language,  so  that  it 
may  be  understood. 

Elizabeth.     That  was  a  great  thing  for  a  bish- 
op to  do. 

Mother.  Yes  ;  but  the  bishop  of  Ermland, 
another  province  of  Prussia,  published,  in  the 
same  month,  a  most  violent  and  abusive  decla- 
ration against  Luther  and  his  disciples.  In  this 
state  of  affairs,  Luther  sent  into  Prussia  an  ex- 
cellent minister,  named  John  Brisman.  And, 
a  while  after,  he  sent  Paul  Sperat,  who  had  been 
confined  in  the  dungeon  of  Olmutz,  for  preach- 
ing the  Gospel  in  Moravia.  He  was  made  bishop 
of  Pomesane,  and  continued  a  zealous  laborer 
for  about  twenty-six  years.  John  Poliander, 
who  had  been  the  clerk  of  Eckius,  at  the  dis- 
pute at  Leipsic,  was  now  a  zealous  Reformer. 
He  went  to  Prussia,  and  labored  in  connection 
with  Brisman  and  Sperat.  With  these  three 
faithful  ministers,  under  the  direction  of  the 
good  bishop  of  Samland,  the  Reformation  made 
rapid  progress  in  Prussia. — About  this  time,  Lu- 
ther wrote  a  long  letter  to  this  good  bishop,  full 
of  good  feeling,    and  correct  views. 

Samuel.     But,  mother,  I  suppose  the  progress 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  137 

of  the   Reformation  only  made   the  Papists  rage 
the  more,  where  they  had  the  power. 

Mother.  Yes ;  and  I  will  mention  a  few  cases, 
that  you  may  see  their  principles  and  spirit. — 
Henry  MuIIer  had  been  one  of  Luther's  disciples. 
He  was  at  the  head  of  the  Augustine  friars  at 
Antwerp,  when  he  was  cast  into  prison.  But  some 
pious  women  assisted  him  to  escape.  He  was 
intending  to  go  to  Wittemberg ;  but  he  received 
a  pressing  invitation  from  the  Senate  and  people 
of  Bremen,  where  he  went  and  preached  the 
Gospel  for  two  years.  The  hearts  of  the  people 
of  this  city  were  well  prepared  to  receive  the 
Gospel ;  but  the  Popish  clergy  were  so  provoked 
at  the  success  of  his  preaching,  that  they  en- 
treated the  Senate  to  send  him  out  of  the  city. 

Elizabeth.  I  hope  they  did  not  do  that,  after 
having  sent  for  him. 

Mother.  No;  but  when  the  priests  found 
they  could  not  get  rid  of  him  in  this  way,  they 
complained  to  the  bishop.  When  Henry  heard 
of  this,  he  drew  up  the  articles  of  his  belief, 
sent  them  to  the  bishop,  and  declared  himself 
ready  to  recant  any  thing  which  could  be  proved 
from  Scripture  to  be  heretical.  But  instead  of 
receiving  an   answer,  Jie   soon   after  found  the 


138 


THE    ANABAPTISTS. 


Bull  of  Leo  X.    and  the  Edict  of  Worms,  stuck 
up  on  the  church  door. 

Peter.     What  did  that  mean,  mother  1 

Mother.  I  suppose  that  was  meant  to  be  un- 
derstood as  the  sentence  of  the  bishop  against 
him.  This  took  place  in  the  year  1524.  About 
two  years  after  this,  he  was  invited  to  preach  the 
Gospel  at  Meldorf,  in  Ditmarsia.  The  people  of 
Bremen  entreated  him  not  to  leave  them ;  but  he 
thought  it  his  duty  to  go.  He  said  they  had  had 
the  Gospel  two  years  at  Bremen ;  but  in  the 
place  to  which  he  was  called,  they  had  never 
heard  it. 

Samuel.  Mother,  if  the  ministers  in  this 
country  were  to  act  from  the  same  principle, 
would  not  a  great  many  of  them  go  to  the  hea- 
then ? 

Mother.  Yes,  my  son.  The  people  in  this 
country  have  heard  the  Gospel  a  long  time ;  while 
there  are  hundreds  of  millions  of  heathen,  who 
have  never  heard  of  Jesus.  And  if  all  the  pas- 
tors in  this  country  were  to  leave  their  churches 
and  go  to  the  heathen,  we  should  still  be  much 
better  supplied  than  they  ;  for  we  have  the  Bible 
and  a  multitude  of  religious  books,  and  Sabbath 
Schools  all  over  the  country. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  139 

Peter.  Well,  mother,  how  was  Henry  receiv- 
ed at  Meldorf? 

Mother.  The  people  received  him  joyfully. 
But  before  he  began  to  preach,  Satan  stirred  up 
the  Papists  against  him.  "  What  is  to  be  done," 
said  the  prior  of  the  monastery,  to  his  clergy. 
"  We  shall  lose  all  our  authority.  We  must  not 
do  as  our  friends  did  at  Bremen."  So  he  formed 
a  conspiracy  of  forty-eight  of  the  principal  men 
of  a  neighboring  town,  to  murder  Henry. 

Samuel.  O,  mother,  it  makes  me  shudder  to 
think,  that  men  who  profess  to  be  sent  of  God  to 
preach  the  Gospel,  could  set  on  foot  a  project  to 
murder  a  man  for  preaching  the  truths  for  fear 
they  themselves  should  lose  their  authority. 

Mother.  Yet,  my  son,  this  is  the  spirit  of 
Popery  ;  which  teaches  that  any  man  who  mur- 
ders a  heretic,  is  doing  God  service. — But,  in  the 
first  place,  these  men  sent  a  letter  to  the  people 
of  Meldorf,  threatening  to  fine  them  five  hundred 
dollars,  if  they  should  suffer  Henry  to  preach. 

Elizabeth.  I  hope  they  did  not  mind  that, 
mother  1 

Mother.  No  ;  they  treated  it  with  contempt. 
Henry  preached  the  Gospel,  and  the  people  re- 
ceived the  truth  with  wonder,  joy,  and  thankful- 


140 


THE    ANABAPTISTS. 


ness.  But  the  prior  of  the  monastery  called  his 
monks  together,  and  got  the  Franciscan  monks 
to  help  him.  Then  they  went  to  the  magistrates 
and  complained  that  if  Henry  was  not  put  to 
death,  the  worship  of  the  Virgin  Mary  and  the 
saints  would  soon  be  at  an  end,  and  the  two  mo- 
nasteries would  be  pulled  down. 

Samuel.  O  how  the  Papists  are  frightened  at 
the  truth. 

Samuel.  Yes ;  Popery  cannot  stand  before 
that.  One  of  the  magistrates  said  that  Henry 
and  those  who  heard  him  preach  had  already 
been  threatened  ;  and  offered  to  have  the  same 
repeated.  "No,  no,"  said  the  prior.  "If  you 
admonish  the  heretic  in  writing,  he  will  answer 
you,  and  you  will  not  get  the  better  of  him. — 
Nay,  there  is  danger  that  you  yourselves  will  be 
seized  with  the  heretical  contagion." 

Samuel.  What  fools  they  were,  mother,  to 
be  imposed  upon  in  this  way.  Only  think  of 
magistrates  putting  a  man  to  death,  for  fear  that 
he  would  make  them  heretics  ! 

Mother.  Yes,  Popery  is  full  of  such  absurdi- 
ties. After  this  speech  of  the  prior,  they  all 
agreed  that  Henry  should  be  taken  and  burnt  ta 
death  in  the  night. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  141 

Elizabeth.  And  did  they  not  even  give  him  a 
trial  ? 

Mother.  O  no  ;  they  were  afraid  of  that.  If 
he  had  a  trial,  he.  would  have  a  chance  to  defend 
himself,  and  convince  the  people  of  the  truth. 
So,  after  it  was  dark,  they  collected  together 
about  five  hundred  of  the  lowest  of  the  people 
from  the  villages,  and  gave  them  several  hogs- 
heads of  Hamburg  ale. 

Elizabeth.  O  how  shocking,  mother,  that 
ministers  of  the  Gospel  should  make  people  drunk 
so  as  to  persuade  them  to  commit  murder ! 

Mother.  They  professed  to  be  ministers  of 
the  Gospel ;  but  they  were  really  the  ministers 
of  Satan.  And  they  took  the  right  method  to 
prepare  these  men  to  commit  any  crime.  Spirits 
take  away  men's  reason,  and  then  they  can  be 
easily  persuaded  to  do  what  they  would  shudder 
at  when  sober.  Most  of  the  crimes  that  are 
committed  in  this  country,  are  done  under  the 
influence  of  spirits.  It  is  most  dangerous  to 
drink  any  thing  that  can  make  a  person  drunk. 
It  was  not  ardent  spirits,  but  beer  that  these  men 
drank,  and  you  will  see  what  they  did  in  the 
end. 

Peter.     But  they  drank  too  much,  mother. 


142  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

Mother.  If  a  person  ventures  to  drink  a  sin- 
gle drop  of  any  thing  that  can  make  people  drunk, 
he  is  in  danger  of  getting  drunk  himself.  He 
will  have  less  resolution  to  resist  the  temptation 
to  take  it  the  second  time,  than  he  had  at  first  ; 
and  when  he  once  gives  way  to  his  appetite, 
there  is  no  telling  how  far  it  may  carry  him. 
The  only  safe  rule  is  to  drink  none  at  all,    of 

ANY  THING  THAT  CAN  INTOXICATE. 

Caroline^  Well,  mother,  what  did  they  do 
to  Henry  ? 

3Iother.  The  clergy  went  forward  with  light- 
ed torches.  About  midnight,  a  body  of  armed 
men  came  to  Meldorf,  and  laid  hold  of  one  of 
Henry's  principal  supporters,  hauled  him  into 
street  by  the  hair  of  his  head,  and  rolled  him  in 
the  dirt.  After  this  they  caught  Henry,  and 
dragged  him  till  his  feet  were  cut  by  the  ice,  so 
that  he  could  not  walk.  One  of  the  magistrates 
asked  him  whether  he  would  rather  die  there,  or 
be  sent  to  the  bishop  of  Bremen.  Henry  told 
him,  if  he  had  preached  any  false  doctrine,  they 
had  him  in  their  power.  Then  the  multitude, 
who  were  heated  with  liquor,  cried  out  *'  Burn 
him  !  burn  him  !"  So  he  was  condemned  to  the 
flames,  without  even  the  form  of  a  trial. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  143 

Caroline.  I  think  he  felt  very  bad,  mother, 
to  be  caught  so,  and  burned  to  death  so  soon. 

Mother,  But  the  Lord  supported  him,  and 
enabled  him  to  shame  the  spirit  of  his  persecutors. 
When  he  was  brought  to  the  pile  of  wood,  he 
lifted  up  his  hands  towards  heaven,  and  said, 
*' Forgive  them  O  Lord,  they  know  not  the  sin 
they  are  committing." 

Caroline.  O  that  was  like  Christ,  mother. 
He  prayed  so  for  his  murderers. 

Mother.  Yes,  my  dear  ;  and  you  can  judge 
which  had  most  of  the  spirit  of  Christ,  this  good 
man  or  the  Popish  priests. 

Peter.  I  think  they  showed  more  of  the  spir- 
it of  Satan  than  of  Christ. 

Mother.  Well,  the  Bible  says,  "  If  any  man 
have  not  the  spirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none  of  his." 
A  good  lady  of  Meldorf  was  so  affected  with  the 
sight  of  his  sufferings,  that  she  offered  to  give 
the  mob  five  hundred  dollars  if  they  would  put 
Henry  in  prison,  and  allow  him  a  fair  trial.  But 
they  instantly  trampled  her  under  their  feet,  and 
fell  upon  Henry  with  clubs,  and  beat  him  most 
unmercifully. 

Elizabeth,     O   what  horrid  cruelty,  mother! 


144  THE     ANABAPTISTS. 

I  am  glad  we  live   in    a   land   of  liberty,  where 
such  things  cannot  be  done. 

Mother.  My  dear,  our  security,  under  God, 
has  heretofore  rested  in  our  being  governed  by 
laws,  which  do  not  allow  any  person  to  suifer 
punishment  until  he  has  had  a  fair  trial.;  and 
then  he  is  punished  according  to  law.  But  if 
the  spirit  which  has  prevailed  in  our  country  for 
some  time  past,  is  not  checked,  we  shall  all  be 
in  danger  of  suffering  in  the  same  way  that  this 
good  man  and  this  good  lady  did.  Similar  mobs 
have  lately  undertaken,  in  many  places,  in  our 
land,  to  punish  people  in  the  same  way.  In  sev- 
eral instances,  men  have  been  hung  without  any 
legal  trial.  In  other  cases  they  have  been  beat- 
en and  abused,  or  their  property  destroyed.  Un- 
less this  spirit  is  speedily  checked,  we  shall  have 
no  more  security  for  our  lives  and  property  than 
if  we  lived  under  a  Popish  despotism. 

Caroline.  Did  they  burn  this  good  man,  moth- 
er ? 

Mother.  It  was  almost  two  hours,  before  they 
could  make  the  fire  burn.  All  this  time,  they 
continued  to  beat  him,  and  to  stick  sharp  point- 
ed instruments  into  his  flesh.     At  last,   they  tied 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  145 

his  body  to  a  long  ladder,  and  when  he  began  to 
pray,  they  forced  his  neck  with  a  cord  so  close 
to  one  of  the  steps  of  the  ladder  that  the  blood 
gushed  out  of  his  mouth  and  nose. 

Samuel.  I  suppose  the  priests  were  afraid  to 
have  him  speak  or  pray,  for  fear  the  people 
would  hear  him,  and  be  convinced  of  the  truth. 

Mother.  Yes  ;  it  is  evident  that  their  object 
was  to  prevent  him  from  being  heard  either  to 
speak  or  pray.  They  now  tried  to  raise  up  the 
ladder,  with  Henry  on  it.  But,  in  attempting  to 
support  it  with  a  sharp  pole,  they  missed  their 
aim,  and  he  fell  upon  the  sharp  point  of  the  pole, 
which  ran  through  his  body  and  put  an  end  to 
his  sufferings.  Then  they  threw  his  body  into 
the  fire  ;  and  one  of  them  snatched  a  club  and 
beat  his  breast  as  long  as  he  could  see  him 
breathe. 

Peter.  Were  there  any  others  put  to  death 
for  their  religion,  mother  1 

Mother.  Yes  ;  there  was  no  small  persecution 
about  this  time,  in  other  countries,  where  the  Re- 
formation was  spreading.  But  of  this  I  will  tell 
you  some  other  time.  I  am  now  telling  you 
about  the  Reformation  in  the  countries  which 
were  included  in  the  Germanic  confederacy.     In 


146  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

Hungary,  a  bookseller,  named  George,  was  put  to 
death,  I  suppose  for  selling  Luther's  books ;  and 
at  Prague,  in  Bohemia,  a  minister  was  put  to 
death  for  marrying  a  wife.  At  Antwerp,  a  min- 
ister had  been  in  the  habit  of  preaching  the  Gos- 
pel on  Sundays,  to  a  great  many  people.  But  the 
government  issued  an  order  forbidding  it.  How- 
ever, the  people  met  in  the  ship  yards  ;  and  as 
their  preacher  did  not  come,  a  young  man  placed 
himself  in  a  boat,  near  the  shore,  and  spoke  to 
the  people  in  a  pious  and  engaging  manner. — 
But  the  next  day,  he  was  taken  and  put  into  a 
sack  and  thrown  into  the  river.  In  general, 
wherever  the  Papists  had  power,  they  persecu- 
ted Christians  with  great  severity,  during  the 
years  1523  and  1524. 


CONVERSATION  VII. 

The  Anabaptists— their  war— Death  of  the  Elector  Frederic, 

Elizabeth.  Mother,  what  became  of  the  An- 
abaptists 1  We  have  heard  nothing  of  them  for 
a  long  time. 

Mother.  You  recollect,  my  dear,  that  Lu- 
ther had  put  Stubner  to  silence  at  Wittemberg. 
But  Munzer  could  not  be  persuaded  to  go  there. 
He  staid  at  Alsted,  a  town  belonging  to  the  Elec- 
tor of  Saxony,  near  Thuringie. 

Peter.  Did  he  hold  the  same  opinions  as 
Stubner,  mother? 

Mother.  He  said  Luther  had  done  more  hurt 
than  good  ;  that  his  doctrine  was  not  spiritual, 
but  carnal.  He  said  divines  should  obtain  the 
spirit  of  prophecy,  or  their  doctrines  would  not 
be  worth  a  half  penny. 

Peter.  Did  he  tell  them  how  to  get  the  spirit 
of  prophecy,  mother  1 


148  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

Mother.  He  said  they  must  fast,  look  grave, 
talk  little,  wear  plainclothes,  and  let  their  beards 
grow.  This  was  the  cross  of  Christ,  he  said, 
and  the  true  mortification.  Then  they  should 
leave  the  crowd,  think  continually  of  God,  and 
ask  him  to  give  them  a  sign,  so  that  they  might 
certainly  know  that  he  loved  them,  and  that 
Christ  died  for  them.  If  the  sign  did  not  imme- 
diately appear,  he  said  they  should  persevere  in 
prayer,  and  even  argue  with  him  in  an  angry 
manner,    as  though  he  did  not  keep  his  promises. 

Elizabeth.  O,  mother,  how  could  any  one 
dare  teach  such  doctrines  as  that ! 

Mother.  It  is  indeed  strange  that  a  worm 
should  think  of  contending  with  his  Maker. 
But  Munzer  said  this  would  show  their  earnest- 
ness ;  and  that  God  would  be  pleased  with  it, 
and  give  them  what  they  asked.  He  also  main- 
tained that  God  revealed  himself  to  men  by 
dreams  ;  and  that  it  was  chiefly  in  that  way  that 
he  answered  men's  prayers.  And  if  any  man 
had  a  dream,  which  could  be  so  interpreted  as 
to  be  supposed  to  be  a  revelation  from  God,  he 
praised  the  dreamer,  and  gained  him  to  his  in- 
terests. In  this  way,  he  got  a  number  of  the  in- 
habitants of  Alsted  to  join  him ;  and  they  bound 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  149 

themselves  by  an  oath,  for  the  piirpose  of  killing 
all  wicked  persons,  and  appointing  new  magis- 
trates and  princes,  so  that  pious  and  good  people 
should  govern  the  world.  They  proposed  to 
level  all  distinctions  among  mankind  ;  to  abolish 
property,  and  reduce  all  men  to  an  equality,  so 
that  all  should  receive  their  living  out  of  one 
common  stock. 

Elizabeth.  But  how  is  it  possible,  mother, 
that  he  could  make  people  believe  it  was  right 
for  them  to  murder  all  the  wicked  1 

Mother.  He  told  them  that  the  plan  was  ap- 
proved by  the  Almighty  ;  and  that  God  had  assur- 
ed him,  in  a  dream,  of  its  success ;  and  as  it 
appealed  to  the  selfishness  of  the  poor,  who  were 
greatly  oppressed,  by  the  prospect  of  an  equal 
division  of  property,  many  of  them  were  easily 
gained  over  to  his  cause. 

Samuel.  But  it  seems  strange  to  me  that  the 
princes  and  rulers  should  have  allowed  these 
things. 

Mother.     You   know   the   moderation  of   the 

Elector ;  and  how  fearful  he   was  of  employing 

force  against  the  prophets,  lest  he   should  injure 

the  people  of  God.     And,  so  long  as   Munzer 

confined  himself  to  the  interpretation  of  dreams 
11 


150 


THE    ANABAPTISTS. 


and  supposed  revelations  from  God,  he  let  him 
alone.  But  vvlien  he  heard  of  his  designs  against 
existing  governments,  he  banished  him  from  his 
dominions. 

Caroline.     Where  did  he  go  then,  mother? 

Mother.  He  first  went  to  Nuremberg ;  but 
failing  to  form  a  party  there,  he  went  to  Mul- 
hausen.  There  he  preached  to  the  common  peo- 
ple, and  persuaded  them  to  put  down  the  old 
magistrates  and  choose  new  ones,  and  to  turn 
the  monks  out  of  doors,  and  seize  their  houses 
and  property.  Munzer  himself  took  possession 
of  the  best  and  richest  houses,  and  was  made 
the  chief  magistrate  and  ruler  of  the  new  gov- 
ernment, both  in  civil  and  religious  matters.  He 
decided  every  matter  by  the  Bible  or  by  pretend- 
ed revelation.  He  taught  the  doctrine  of  per- 
fect equality,  and  that  the  people  should  have  all 
things  common. 

Peter.  Well,  mother,  does  not  our  declara- 
tion of  independence  teach  that  all  men  are  born 
equal  ? 

Mother.  Yes  ;  but  it  does  not  mean  that  they 
are  in  fact  equal ;  but  only  that  they  are  equally 
entitled  to  certain  natural  rights,  such  as  the 
liberty  of  doing  all  things  lawful,  of  enjoying  the 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  151 

possession  of  property,  and  pursuing  happiness. 
But  it  does  not  mean  that  all  men  are  born 
equal  in  regard  to  natural  abilities,  wealth,  or 
station  in  life.  This  is  not  true  in  fact ;  and  the 
noiion  is  evidently  contrary  to  the  intentions  of 
Providence.  Some  people  have,  naturally,  great- 
er minds  than  others.  There  is,  in  fact,  al- 
most as  great  a  diversity  of  talents  among  men, 
as  there  is  of  countenances ;  and  so  the  consti- 
tution of  human  society  leads  to  the  same  endless 
variety  of  circumstances,  in  regard  to  wealth 
and  stations  in  life. 

Peter.  But  the  first  Christians  had  all  things 
in  common.  They  sold  every  thing  they  had, 
and  put  it  together  into  one  common  stock. 
Ought  we  not  to  do  as  they  did  ? 

Mother.  There  is  an  important  principle  in- 
volved in  this  question,  my  son  ;  and  for  want  of 
attending  to  it,  men  are  often  led  into  error. 
We  are  not  required  to  do  every  thing  that  was 
done  hy  Christ  and  the  Apostles,  and  other  holy 
men,  mentioned  in  the  Bible.  By  taking  their 
examples  as  a  perfect  rule  of  conduct,  without 
regard  to  the  difference  of  circumstances,  we 
shall  be  led  into  numerous  mistakes.  Christ  nev- 
er did  any  thing  wrong  ;  and  we  are  required  to 


152 


THE    ANABAPTISTS. 


imitate  him  in  the  general  spirit  of  his  conduct. 
But,  as  no  man  ever  can  be  called  to  act  in  the 
same  capacity  that  he  did,  so  no  man  can  be  re- 
quired to  do  just  as  he  did.  The  example  of 
Christ  is  a  perfect  rule  of  conduct,  just  so  far  as 
we  are  placed  in  exactly  similar  circumstances, 
and  no  farther.  The  Apostles  did  not  always 
do  right ;  so  that  their  example  can  be  a  perfect 
rule  of  conduct,  no  farther  than  it  is  found  to 
agree  with  the  general  principles  of  the  Bible. 
But  we  are  not  required  in  all  cases,  to  follow 
their  example,  even  when  they  did  right.  In  or- 
der to  know  our  own  duty,  we  must  apply  the 
general  principles  of  the  Bible  to  the  particular 
circumstances  in  which  we  are  placed.  But  the 
circumstances  in  which  the  apostles  were  placed, 
may  have  required  a  course  of  action  very  differ- 
ent from  what  is  required  of  us.  This  is  the  case, 
particularly,  in  respect  to  their  having  all  things 
common.  Our  Savior  and  the  Apostles  had  all 
things  common,  and  lived  as  one  family.  This 
was  natural,  considering  the  life  they  led,  while 
traveling  from  place  to  place,  preaching  the  Gos- 
pel. It  would  have  been  strange  if  they  had  not 
done  so.  It  was  the  most  convenient  way  of  liv- 
ing ;  and  it  kept  them  all  together,  so  that  the 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  153 

disciples  could  all  have  an  opportunity  of  hearing 
every  thing  that  Jesus  said.  But  Jesus  no  where 
commands  them  to  put  every  thing  they  have 
into  a  common  stock  ;  and  it  appears  that  John 
had  some  property  which  he  did  not  put  into  their 
common  treasury ;  for  we  read  that,  after  the 
crucifixion,  he  took  the  mother  of  Jesus  to  Ms 
own  home.  If  he  had  not  had  some  private  prop- 
erty, he  would  not  have  had  a  home. — As  the 
apostles  had  been  accustomed  to  this  way  of  liv- 
ing, it  was  perfectly  natural  that  the  first  converts, 
in  the  overflow  of  grateful  feeling  and  brotherly 
love,  should  seek  to  live  in  the  same  way,  as  one 
family.  But  there  were  peculiar  circumstances 
which  rendered  it  proper  at  that  time,  in  Jerusa- 
lem. It  was  the  time  of  a  great  feast,  when 
great  numbers  of  strangers,  from  all  parts  of  the 
world,  were  at  Jerusalem.  Many  of  these  were 
converted ;  and  on  that  account,  probably,  de- 
prived of  the  usual  hospitality  of  their  Jewish 
brethren.  There  were  also  multitudes  of  very 
poor  people,  in  Jerusalem,  many  of  whom  had 
no  doubt  embraced  Christ.  Besides  this,  those 
were  troublesome  times,  when  the  church  was 
exposed  to  persecution ;  and  the  Christians  knew 
that   the  temple-worship   would   be   overthrown, 


154  THE     ANABAPTISTS. 

and  the  Jews  scattered  all  over  the  world.  Un- 
der all  these  circumstances,  it  was  natural  that 
those  who  had  property  should  throw  it  into  a 
common  stock,  to  provide  for  the  necessities  of 
all.  They  felt  just  as  all  Christians  should  feel ; 
nothing  which  they  had  was  their  own.  Acts  4  : 
32.  And  they  acted  upon  the  same  principle 
upon  which  all  Christians  ought  to  act ;  they 
gave  up  their  property,  when  they  saw  that  the 
interests  of  Christ's  kingdom  called  for  it.  So 
we  should  do  now.  But  it  does  not  follow  that 
we  should  all  live  as  one  family,  and  have  no 
separate  property.  This  was  only  adapted  to  the 
peculiar  circumstances  of  the  Christians  at  Je- 
rusalem. There  is  no  evidence  that  the  same 
course  was  pursued  in  other  parts  of  Judea;  and 
it  is  evident  from  the  directions  which  the  apos- 
tles give  in  their  epistles,  about  honesty,  and  the 
rights  of  property  in  general,  Rom.  12:  13,  17. 
2  Cor.  8:  21,  that  it  was  never  practised  among 
the  Gentile  converts  ;  nor  even  among  the  Jews 
that  were  scattered  abroad,  as  you  will  see  by 
reading  the  second  chapter  of  James.  If  all 
things  had  been  in  common,  there  would  have 
been  no  need  of  exhorting  them  to  take  care  of 
the   poor. — Young   minds    are    very    apt   to   be 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  155 

troubled  with  such  questions  as  this ;  and  on  that 
account,  I  wish  you  to  get  correct  principles  fix- 
ed in  your  minds,  so  that  you  will  know  how  to 
remove  these  difficulties.  The  scheme  of  living 
in  common,  has  often  been  tried,  but  always 
failed.  It  is  not  adapted  to  human  nature,  in  its 
present  state  ;  and  it  is  evident  that  the  Lord 
never  designed  that  we  should  live  so.  This  doc- 
trine, as  preached  by  Munzer,  produced  its  nat- 
ural effect :  the  poor  left  off  work,  and  supplied 
their  wants  from  the  rich  by  force.  The  num- 
ber of  his  followers  increased  wonderfully.  Mul- 
titudes flocked  to  his  standard.  In  all  the  cities 
which  fell  into  their  hands,  they  put  down  the 
magistrates,  seized  the  lands  of'  the  nobles,  and 
made  them  put  on  the  clothes  of  laborers,  so  as 
to  make  all  men  equal.  But  Munzer,  their  lead- 
er, was  not  capable  of  conducting  this  wild  un- 
dertaking. He  had  not  courage  enough  to  carry 
it  through.  He  soon  collected  together  eight 
thousand  men ;  but  he  suffered  himself  to  be 
surrounded  by  a  body  of  soldiers  under  the  com- 
mand of  the  Elector  of  Saxony,  the  landgrave  of 
Hesse,  and  the  duke  of  Brunswick.  These 
princes  were  unwilling  to  shed  the  blood  of  the 
people ;    and  they  sent  a  young  nobleman    to  the 


156  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

camp,  offering  them  a  free  pardon,  if  they  would 
lay  down  their  arms,  and  deliver  up  their  leaders. 
Munzer  was  alarmed  at  this,  and  made  a  speech, 
exhorting  them  not  to  trust  the  deceitful  promises 
of  their  opposers,  nor  desert  the  cause  of  God 
and  Christian  liberty.  But  they  saw  their  dan- 
ger, and  were  filled  with  confusion  and  terror. 
However,  just  at  this  moment,  a  rainbow,  which 
was  the  sign  they  had  painted  on  their  flag,  ap- 
peared in  the  clouds,  and  Munzer  cried  out  with 
a  loud  voice,  "  Behold  the  sign  which  God  has 
given.  There  is  the  pledge  of  your  safety,  and 
the  token  that  the  wicked  shall  be  destroyed." 
Then  the  ignorant  and  superstitious  multitude 
set  up  a  shout,  as  if  victory  had  been  certain. 
They  immediately  killed  the  young  man  who  had 
been  sent  to  offer  them  pardon,  and  demanded  tc 
be  led  against  the  enemy.  But  such  a  rabble 
was  no  match  for  well  trained  soldiers.  The 
princes,  enraged  at  their  barbarity  in  killing  the 
young  nobleman,  advanced  upon  them,  and  kill* 
ed  five  thousand  of  them.  The  rest,  with  their 
leader,  ran  away.  Munzer  was  taken  the  next 
day,   and  put  to  death. 

Caroline.     Did  he  die  like  a  martyr,  mother  ? 

Mother.     No  ;  he  suffered  with  a  mean,  cow-. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  157 

ardly  spirit,  because  he  had  not  the  grace  of  God 
to  support  him. 

Samuel.  Mother,  how  could  these  men  raise 
such  tumults,  and  bring  so  many  people  to  join 
them  in  their  wild  schemes  for  reforming  the 
world? 

Mother.  It  is  easy  to  see  how  this  could  be, 
when  we  consider  the  condition  of  the  common 
people,  who  were  called  pe«s«w^s.  In  Germany, 
all  the  lands  then  belonged  to  the  princes  and 
great  men,  and  the  peasants  were  held  in  a  state 
but  very  little  removed  from  absolute  slavery. 
They  were  so  grievously  oppressed,  that,  during 
the  latter  end  of  the  fifteenth  and  the  beginning 
of  the  sixteenth  centuries,  they  rebelled  against 
their  princes  in  various  parts  of  Germany  ;  and 
the  spirit  of  discontent  among  them  was  very 
general.  The  fanatical  leaders  of  the  Anabap- 
tists, seized  upon  this  state  of  feeling  among  the 
peasants,  to  accomplish  their  objects. 

Elizabeth.  Did  any  who  had  embraced  the 
doctrines  of  Luther,  engage  in  these  tumults  ? 

Mother.  In  other  parts  of  Germany,  the  re- 
bellion was  of  a  different  character.  The  pea- 
sants, generally,  only  sought  for  a  redress,  of 
their  grievances,    so  that  they  might  enjoy   their 


158  THE    ANABAPTISTS, 

rights.  But  where  Luther's  doctrines  prevailed 
most,  they  had  removed  the  servile  and  super- 
stitious reverence  of  the  people  for  Popery  ;  but 
the  great  mass  of  the  peasants  were  too  ignorant 
to  understand  the  nature  of  civil  and  religious 
liberty  ;  and  but  a  small  portion  of  the  people 
had,  probably,  become  true  Christians  at  heart. 
This  left  them  in  a  condition  to  be  captivated  by 
any  thing  that  promised  relief  from  the  oppres- 
sion under  which  they  groaned.  But  these  tu- 
mults can  by  no  means  be  said  to  have  follow- 
ed as  a  necessary  consequence  of  the  Reforma- 
tion. 

Samueh  Did  Luther  do  nothing  to  prevent 
this,  mother  ?  He  had  so  much  influence,  I 
should  think  he  might  have  done  something. 

Mother.  Luther  plainly  saw  that  this  was  an 
attempt  of  Satan  to  hinder  the  Reformation  of 
Religion  which  was  going  on  in  the  land  ;  and 
as  soon  as  Munzer  had  made  known  his  wicked 
designs,  so  as  to  leave  no  room  to  doubt  that  he 
intended  to  overturn  all  good  government,  the 
Reformer  wrote  to  the  Elector  Frederic  and  his 
brother  John,  telling  them  of  the  danger  with 
which  the  country  was  threatened  from  Munzer 
and  his  associates.     "  My  reason,"  says  he,  "for 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  159 

addressing  your  highness  at  present,  is  this : 
These  enthusiasts  hold  it  right  to  propagate  their 
doctrines  by  force.  They  made  no  secret  of  this 
at  Wittemberg  :  and  their  declaration  sunk  deep 
into  my  mind.  I  saw,  plainly,  that  they  intend- 
ed to  overturn  the  existing  governments,  though 
Christ  expressly  told  Pilate  that  his  kingdom  was 
not  of  this  world.  I  do  therefore  most  sincerely 
entreat  your  highnesses,  to  employ  that  authori- 
ty which  God  has  given  you,  in  preventing  the 
schemes  of  these  seditious  persons,  who  would 
turn  every  thing  upside  down.  It  is  not  ray  wish 
that  any  person,  no,  not  even  these  fanatics, 
should  be  hindered  from  preaching.  Let  them 
teach,  but  keep  their  hands  from  violence.  Or 
if  they  will  persist  in  their  ferocious,  seditious 
practices,  it  will  then  be  your  duty  to  restrain 
them,  and  without  hesitation,  to  banish  them  from 
your  dominions.  The  warfare  of  an  evangelist 
is  of  a  spiritual  nature.  He  is  to  preach  and  to 
bear  the  cross.  We  no  where  read  that  either 
Christ  or  his  apostles  pulled  down  churches  or 
images.  But  when  the  divine  word  penetrated 
the  hearts  of  men,  the  heathen  churches  and 
images  came  to  nothing.  We  are  to  act  in  the 
same  manner." 


160  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

Samuel.  I  am  glad  to  hear  that,  mother.  It 
shows  the  true  principles  upon  which  Luther  act- 
ed. He  was  not  for  employing  force,  to  make 
men  religious,  or  prevent  them  from  teaching 
heresy ;  but  he  would  not  allow  men,  under  pre- 
tence of  religion,  to  stir  up  the  people  to  engage 
in  mobs  and  riots  and  rebellion  against  their 
rulers. 

Mother.  After  Munzer  had  been  banished, 
Luther  wrote  to  the  magistrates  of  Mulhausen, 
warning  them  not  to  receive  him  into  their  city  ; 
and,  in  the  beginningof  the  year  1525,  he  pub- 
lished a  book  against  these  visionary  fanatics. 
But  when  he  saw  that  the  spirit  of  tumult  and 
sedition  was  increasing,  he  published  a  very  spir- 
ited address  to  all  classes  of  the  people.  In  the 
first  place,  he  addressed  the  common  people. 
*'  I  allow,"  says  he,  ''  that  those  rulers  who  op- 
press their  subjects,  and  particularly  in  prevent- 
ing the  preaching  of  the  Gospel  among  them,  are 
without  excuse.  Yet,  it  is  at  the  peril  of  losing 
both  soul  and  body,  if  you  do  not  preserve  a 
good  conscience  in  this  matter.  Satan  has  rais- 
ed up  a  number  of  seditious,  sanguinary  teach- 
ers. I  entreat  you  not  to  believe  every  thing 
you  hear.     You  call  yourselves  Christians,    and 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  161 

profess  to  be  obedient  to  the  laws  of  God.  In  the 
first  place,  it  is  extremely  improbable  that  true 
Christians  should  be  so  numerous  as  to  furnish 
such  large  bodies  of  men  as  you  pretend  to  have 
on  your  side,  A  true  Christian  is  a  scarce  bird 
in  the  world.  Take  care  that  you  do  not  abuse 
the  name  of  God;  for  as  easily  as  he  drowned 
the  whole  world,  and  rained  fire  upon  Sodom, 
he  can  destroy  you.  Your  actions  make  it  very 
plain  to  me,  that  your  profession  of  obedience 
to  the  law  of  God,  is  a  mere  pretence.  Paul 
orders  all  men  to  obey  the  magistrate ;  but  you 
would  snatch  the  sword  from  him,  and  resist  the 
power  which  is  ordained  of  God.  The  duty  of 
the  Christian  is,  to  suffer  and  to  bear  the  cross, 
and  not  to  revenge,  or  take  up  arms.  What  ap- 
pearance is  there,  of  this  humble  spirit  in  your 
condifct  1  Our  Lord  forbade  Peter  to  resist  ; 
and  when  nailed  to  the  cross,  he  patiently  com- 
mitted his  cause  to  the  Father,  and  prayed  for 
his  murderers.  Do  you  imitate  his  example,  or 
pretend  not  to  the  character  of  Christians.  You 
mean  to  carry  your  points  by  force  of  arms ;  but 
you  will  not  succeed."  Luther  then  turns  to  the 
princes,  and  says,  *'  It  is  to  you,  rulers,  and  es- 


162  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

pecially  the  rulers  of  the  church,  that  the  pre- 
sent disturbances  are  to  be  ascribed.  The  bish- 
ops, to  this  very  moment,  even  against  their  bet- 
ter knowledge,  persecute  the  Gospel ;  and  the 
civil  magistrates  think  of  nothing  but  of  draining 
the  wretched  poor,  to  satisfy  their  own  pride  and 
luxury.  I  have  repeatedly  warned  you  of  the 
dreadful  evils  that  await  you,  but  to  no  purpose. 
The  wrath  of  God  is  accumulating  over  you,  and 
will  burst  on  your  heads,  if  ye  repent  not.  These 
false  prophets,  and  the  rebellion  of  the  common 
people,  are  proofs  of  the  divine  displeasure.  To 
be  plain,  such  is  the  state  of  things,  that  men 
neither  can  nor  will,  nor  indeed  should  they, 
bear  your  government  any  longer.  Listen  to  the 
Scriptures,  and  amend  your  ways.  The  people 
may  not  succeed  at  present,  and  you  may  kill 
the  greater  part  of  them ;  but  God  will  raise  up 
others  after  them.  For  it  is  he  himself,  who^  for 
your  wickedness,  brings  these  troubles  upon  you. 
Some  of  the  demands  of  the  people  are  so  rea- 
sonable, that  you  ought  to  be  ashamed  for  hav- 
ing reduced  your  subjects  to  the  necessity  of  ma- 
king them.  It  is  the  duty  of  governments  not 
to  vex  and  distress  their  subjects,  but  to  be  the 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  163 

guardians  of  their  fortunes  and  comforts  ;  but 
the  oppression  of  the  poor  peasants  of  this  coun- 
try, has  become  intolerable." 

Peter.  He  was  very  bold,  mother,  and  plain, 
to  both  parties. 

Motlier.  Yes  ;  he  spared  neither.  In  couclu- 
sion,  he  exhorted  them  not  to  think  of  fighting 
one  another ;  but  to  settle  their  disputes  in  a 
peaceable  way,  for  the  advantage  of  both  par- 
ties.— This  address  shows  the  spirit  of  Luther ; 
and  proves  that  he  was  in  no  way  connected  with 
the  tumults  that  disturbed  the  country.  They 
owed  their  origin  entirely  to  the  cruel  oppression 
of  the  rulers.  But  the  general  feeling  of  dis- 
content that  prevailed  among  the  people,  was 
made  use  of,  by  these  wicked  prophets,  for  pro- 
moting their  cause,  and  establishing  their  au- 
thority. 

Peter.  Well,  mother,  when  Munzer  was 
killed,  did  that  put  an  end  to  the  Anabaptists  1 

Mother.  It  put  an  end  to  the  insurrection  of 
the  peasants,  for  that  time.  But  still,  there  were 
many  persons  who  held  the  doctrines  of  the  Ana- 
baptists, in  secret,  ready  to  embrace  the  first 
opportunity  to  put  them  in  practice.  In  those 
provinces   of  Upper   Germany,  where   they  had 


1^ 


THE    ANABAPTISTS. 


already  raised  tumults,  the  magistrates  watched 
them  so  closely,  that  they  had  no  opportunity  of 
exciting  disturbance.  But  in  the  Netherlands 
and  Westphalia,  where  they  were  less  known, 
they  got  into  several  towns,  and  spread  their  per- 
nicious principles.  In  the  year  1534,  two  Ana- 
baptist prophets,  John  Matthias,  a  baker  of 
Haerleni,  and  John  Boecold,  a  journeyman  tai- 
lor, of  Leyden,  settled  at  Munster.  Caroline, 
can  you  find  Munster  on  the  map  ? 

Caroline.  Yes,  mother,  here  it  is,  in  the  Up- 
per part  of  Westphalia. 

3Iother.  Yes ;  and  it  was  the  capital  city  of  a 
province  of  the  same  name.  It  was  subject  to  the 
bishop ;  but  was  governed  by  its  own  senate  and 
consuls. — Both  these  men  possessed  the  necessa- 
ry talents  for  desperate  enterprises.  They  had 
great  resolution,  the  appearance  of  sanctity,  and 
a  confident  and  plausible  manner  of  addressing 
the  people.  They  also  made  bold  pretensions  to 
inspiration.  Considering  the  unsettled  state  of 
men's  minds,  on  the  subject  of  religion,  and  the 
grievous  opprcsions  under  which  they  had  long 
groaned,  it  is  not  surprising,  that  they  soon  gain- 
ed many  converts.  Among  these,  were  a  min- 
ister of  the  name   of   Rothman,   who  had  first 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  165 

preached  the  doctrines  of  the  Reformation  at 
Munster,  and  Cnipperdoling,  a  rich  man,  of 
some  rank  in  society. 

Elizabeth.  It  is  very  strange,  mother,  that  a 
minister  who  had  embraced  the  Reformation, 
should  have  joined  them. 

Mother.  No,  my  dear,  it  is  not  strange  ;  for 
the  true  principles  of  the  Christian  religion  were 
but  imperfectly  understood,  even  by  many  of  the 
Reformers  themselves ;  and  there  is  no  doubt 
that  many  zealously  embraced  the  Reformation, 
because  they  saw  the  corruptions  of  Popery, 
without  having  any  very  distinct  notions  of  what 
was  to  take  its  place  ;  and  without  experiencing 
the  renewing  power  of  the  Gospel  in  their  own 
hearts.  Such  persons  would  be  ready  to  embrace 
any  thing  new,  and  to  be  turned  about  by  every 
wind. — However,  the  conversion  of  such  persons 
emboldened  them  still  more.  They  taught  their 
opinions  publicly,  and  made  several  attempts  to 
become  the  masters  of  the  town.  At  last,  having 
secretly  called  in  their  associates  from  the  neigh- 
boring country,  they  took  possession  of  the  arsenal 
and  senate  house,  in  the  night.  Then  running 
through  the  streets  with  drawn  swords,  and  hor- 
12 


166  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

t 

rible  bowlings,  they  cried  out,  ''  Repent  and  be 
baptised  !"  and    "  Depart,  ye  ungodly  !" 

Samuel.  Where  were  the  rulers,  all  this 
time  1 

Mother.  The  senators,  nobility,  and  citizens- 
generally,  were  so  frightened  with  their  threats 
and  outcries  that  they  ran  away  in  confusion, 
and  left  the  city  to  the  frantic  multitude,  who- 
were  chiefly  strangers.  As  there  was  now  noth- 
ing in  their  way,  they  set  about  forming  a  gov- 
ernment according  to  their  own  wild  ideas.  At 
first,  they  elected  senators  of  their  own  sect, 
and  appointed  Cnipperdoling  and  another  man 
consuls.  But  this  was  mere  form,  for  all  their 
proceedings  were  directed  by  Matthias.  He  gave 
his  commands  in  the  style  and  with  the  authori- 
ty of  a  prophet ;  and  it  was  instant  death  to  diso- 
bey him. 

Elizabeth.  Strange  that  the  people  should 
pacify  themselves  with  the  name  of  liberty,  while 
they  submitted  to  such  tyranny  as  that. 

Mother,  But  there  is  no  absurdity  too  great 
for  men  to  embrace,  if  they  can  only  be  persua- 
ded that  it  comes  from  divine  authority. — The 
prophet  began  with  encouraging   the   multitude 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  167 

to  rob  the  churches,    and  tear    down  their  orna- 
ments.    Then  he  told  them  to  destroy  all  books ' 
but  the  Bible,  as  useless  or  impious. 

Samuel.     That   is    like    the    Mohammedans"^ 
mother. 

Mother.     Yes  ;  and   the   peculiar    principles 
which    distinguished  this    sect   were  more  like 
those  of  the  Mohammedans  than   of  any  others. 
Matthias  ordered  the  land  and  property  of  those 
who  had  left  the   city,   to   be  sold  to  the  people 
in  the    country    around  ;     and    commanded   all 
the   people   to  bring   their  money    and  property 
to  him.     The  whole  of  this  he  placed  in  a  public 
treasury,  and  appointed  deacons  to  distribute  it 
for  the  benefit  of  all.     Having  reduced  the  peo- 
ple all  to  an  equality,  according  to"^  the  notions  of 
the  sect,  he  made  them  all  eat  at  public  tables, 
and  gave  orders  what  dishes  should  be  served  up 
each  day.     His  next  care  was  to  provide  for  the 
defence  of  the  city.     He  collected   large    stores 
of  arms.     He  repaired  the    fortifications  of  the 
city,  obliging  every  one,    without  distinction,   to 
work  in  his  turn.     He  formed  such  as  were  able 
to  bear  arms,  into   a   standing    army.     He  also 
sent  persons  into  other  parts  of  Germany,    invit- 
ing   he    Anabaptists  to    assemble   at   Munster, 


168  THE     ANABAPTISTS. 

which  he  called  Mount  Zion,  that  they  might 
set  out  from  there  to  bring  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth  to  submit  to  their  authority. 

Samuel.  How  is  it  possible  that  he  could 
bring  the  people  into  such  ridiculous  measures  1 

Mother.  We  have  already  seen,  in  the  his- 
tory of  Mohammed,  how  easy  it  is  for  a  success- 
ful impostor,  to  bring  his  followers  to  submit  im- 
plicitly to  his  will.  The  history  of  the  Anabap- 
tists furnishes  another  instance ;  and  Matthias 
accomplished  his  design  much  in  the  same  way 
as  Mohammed.  He  kept  up  the  excitement  in 
their  minds  by  exhortations,  revelations,  and 
prophecies,  as  well  as  by  his  own  example,  so 
that  they  seemed  ready  to  suffer  any  hardships^ 
in  order  to  maintain  their  opinions. 

Peter.  Mother,  why  did  not  the  government 
send  an  army  to  punish  the  rebels  1 

Mother.  The  bishop  of  Munster  raised  an 
army  and  besieged  the  town.  As  he  came  to- 
wards the  city,  Matthias,  at  the  head  of  some 
chosen  men,  went  out,  and  in  a  furious  manner 
attacked  the  bishop's  army ;  and  after  killing  a 
great  many  men,  he  returned  to  the  city,  loaded 
with  spoil.  But  he  was  so  much  intoxicated 
with  his  success,  that  the  next  day  he  brandished 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  169 

his  spear,  and  declared  that  he  would  go  out  like 
Gideon,  with  a  handful  of  men,  and  smite  the  host 
of  the  ungodly.  Accordingly,  he  chose  thirty  men, 
who  followed  him  without  hessitation.  They 
rushed  madly  upon  the  enemy  ;  but  every  man 
of  them  was  killed. 

Peter.  And  the  prophet  too,  mother  ?  I  sup- 
pose that  put  an  end  to  the  war,  then. 

Mother.  No,  my  son  :  the  death  of  Matthias, 
at  first,  produced  great  terror  among  his  follow- 
ers. But  Boccold  took  his  place,  and  soon  gain- 
ed so  much  credit  among  the  people,  that  he  suc- 
ceeded Matthias  in  the  absolute  direction  of  their 
affairs.  However,  he  did  not  attempt  to  march 
out  against  the  enemy,  as  Matthias  had  done  ; 
but  contented  himself  with  defending  the  city. 
But  he  was  wilder  in  his  enthusiasm  than  Mat- 
thias. Soon  after  the  death  of  that  prophet,  he 
stripped  himself  naked,  and  marching  through 
the  streets,  proclaimed  with  aloud  voice,  "The 
kingdom  of  Zion  is  at  hand  :  whatever  is  highest 
on  earth  shall  be  brought  low,  and  whatever  is 
lowest  shall  be  exalted."  In  order  to  fulfil  this, 
he  commanded  that  the  churches,  which  were 
the  highest  buildings  in  the  city,  should  be  lev- 
eled  to  the  ground.     Then  he  put   out  of  oflice 


170  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

the  senators  chosen  by  Matthias  ;  and  changed 
Cnipperdoling  from  the  highest  office  to  the  low- 
est, and  made  him  the  common  hangman. 

Samuel.  I  should  think  they  would  have  re- 
sisted such  arbitrary  proceedings. 

Mother.  When  fanaticism  once  gets  posses- 
sion of  men's  minds,  it  will  carry  them  wherever 
their  leaders  choose  to  have  theni  go.  They  sup- 
posed him  to  be  directed  by  God  himself;  and  of 
course,  to  hesitate  to  obey  him,  would  be,  in  their 
view,  rebellion  against  the  Almighty.  Cnipper- 
doling not  only  agreed  to  this  change  without 
murmuring,  but  with  joy ;  though  he  was  called 
almost  every  day  to  take  the  lives  of  those  who 
had  offended  the  prophet.  In  place  of  the  sena- 
tors, Boccold  appointed  twelve  judges,  according^ 
to  the  number  of  the  tribes  of  Israel,  reserving  to 
himself  the  same  authority  which  Moses  had 
among  the  Israelites.  But  this  did  not  satisfy 
him.  He  persuaded  another  man,  who  was  ac- 
knowledged as  a  prophet,  to  call  the  multitude  to^ 
gether  and  declare  that  it  was  the  will  of  God, 
that  John  Boccold  should  be  king  of  Sion,  and 
sit  on  the  throne  of  David.  When  this  was  done, 
John  kneeled  down  and  accepted  the  heavenly 
call,  declaring  that  the  same  thing  had  been  re- 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  171 

vealed  to  himself.  The  deluded  multitude  imme- 
diately acknowledged  him  as  their  king;  and  a 
crown  of  gold  was  put  upon  his  head,  and  he  was 
clothed  in  the  richest  garments.  He  carried  a 
Bible  in  one  hand,  and  a  naked  sword  in  the  oth- 
er. 

Samuel.  How  strange,  mother,  that  he  should 
carry  in  his  hand  the  very  book  in  which  his  con- 
duct was  condemned,  in  the  most  pointed  man- 
ner. 

Mother.  The  worst  things  that  ever  happened, 
have  been  done  in  the  name  of  God  and  religion. 
—But  John  went  on,  carrying  out  his  system  of 
royalty.  A  great  body  of  guards  accompanied 
him,  whenever  he  appeared  in  public.  He  coin- 
ed money,  stamped  with  his  own  image,  and  ap- 
pointed the  great  officers  of  his  kingdom.  Cnip- 
perdoling  was  made  governor  of  the  city,  as  a  re- 
ward for  his  former  submission.  But  now,  as 
Boccold  had  got  to  the  height  of  power,  he  began 
to  show  a  disposition  to  gratify  himself  in  another 
way.  He  told  his  prophets  to  address  the  people 
upon  the  lawfulness  and  necessity  of  taking  more 
than  one  wife.  This,  they  said,  was  one  of  the 
privileges  which  God  had  granted  to  the  saints. 
When  the  minds  of  the  people  were  sufficiently 


172  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

prepared  for  it,  he  set  them  the  example,  by  mar- 
rying three  wives,  one  of  whom  was  the  widow  of 
Matthias,  a  very  beautiful  woman.  He  after- 
wards added  to  the  number  of  his  wives,  till  he 
had  taken  fourteen.  But  the  Avidow  of  Matthias 
was  made  queen,  and  shared  with  him  the  splen- 
dors of  royalty.  The  people  followed  his  exam- 
ple. No  man  contented  himself  with  one  wife. 
Not  to  use  their  Christian  liberty  was  considered 
a  crime.  Persons  were  appointed  to  search  the 
houses  for  young  women  ;  and  every  one  that  was 
found,  was  forced  to  marry.  Besides  this,  men 
were  allowed  to  put  away  their  wives,  whenever 
they  pleased.  Thus,  every  excess  was  commit- 
ted, of  which  the  passions  of  men  are  capable, 
when  restrained  neither  by  the  authority  of  law, 
nor  a  sense  of  decency ;  and  all  this  was  done  in 
the  name  of  religion.  At  the  same  time,  similar 
scenes  of  violence,  tumult,  and  sedition,  were  ex- 
hibited in  Holland.  King  John  pretended  that 
God  had  made  him  a  present  of  the  cities  of  Am- 
sterdam, Deventer,  and  Wesel.  So  he  sent  men 
there  to  preach  to  the  people.  About  the  begin- 
ning of  the  year  1535,  twelve  Anabaptists,  of 
whom  five  were  women,  met  at  Amsterdam,  in  a 
private  house,  at  midnight.     One  of  them,  a  tailor 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  173 

by  profession,  fell  into  a  sort  of  trance  :  and  af- 
ter having  preached  and  prayed  for  four  hours, 
he  stripped  himself  entirely  naked,  threw  his 
clothes  in  the  fire,  and  commanded  the  rest,  in 
the  name  of  God,  to  do  the  same.  They  all  im- 
mediately obeyed  him  ;  and  then  they  all  followed 
him  through  the  streets,  bawling  out,  "  Wo,  wo! 
the  wrath  of  God !  the  wrath  of  God !  ico  to 
Babylon !" 

Elizabeth.  Did  they  do  this  in  the  name  of 
God,  too? 

Mother.  Yes;  and  this  shows  the  danger  of 
giving  way  to  enthusiastic  notions,  and  pretended 
inspirations.  When  men  are  fully  persuaded  that 
they  are  guided  by  a  divine  impulse,  there  is  no 
absurdity  or  abomination  too  great  for  them  to 
practise.  These  fanatics  were  taken  before  the 
magistrates,  and  clothes  were  offered  them  to  cov- 
er their  nakedness ;  but  they  would  not  put  them 
on ;  but  cried  out,  "  We  are  the  naked  truth." 

Caroline^  What  was  done  with  them,  moth- 
er? 

Mother.  They  were  put  to  death.  But  when 
led  to  the  scaffold,  they  sung  and  danced,  with 
enthusiastic  frenzy.     Soon  after  this,  a  man  of 


174  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

the  name  of  Van  Geelen,  who  had  been  sent  to 
that  city  by  the  "King  ofZion,"  asBoccold  call- 
ed himself,  marched  a  band  of  his  followers  to 
the  town-house,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  posses- 
sion of  the  city.  But  they  were  surrounded  by 
the  city  authorities  with  some  soldiers,  and  after 
a  severe  battle,  he  and  his  company  were  put  to 
death. 

Samuel.  But  what  were  the  princes  of  Germa- 
ny doing,  all  this  time  1 

Mother.  The  bishop  of  Munster  had  kept  up 
the  seige ;  and  the  princes  of  Germany  met  to- 
gether, and  voted  to  supply  him  with  men  and 
money  for  putting  down  the  Anabaptists.  They 
were  now  reduced  almost  to  a  state  of  famine  : 
and  several  small  bodies  of  their  brethren,  who 
had  come  to  their  assistance,  were  killed.  Yet, 
their  hopes  were  as  high  as  ever ;  and  the  prophet 
succeeded  in  making  them  believe  that  God 
would,  in  a  miraculous  manner,  deliver  the  city. 
The  faith  of  a  few  began  to  be  shaken;  but  they 
were  immediately  punished  with  death,  for  dis- 
trusting the  power  of  God.  One  of  the  king's 
wives  said  something,  which  showed  some  doubt 
about  his  divine  mission;  and  he  instantly  called 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  175 

them  all  together,  and  commanded  the  blas- 
phemer, as  he  called  her,  to  kneel  down,  and 
then  cut  off  her  head  with  his  own  hands. 

Elizabeth.  O  mother,  did  not  this  strike  the 
rest  of  them  with  horror  1 

Mother.  No ;  they  joined  him  in  dancing 
with  joy  around  her  bleeding  corpse.— But,  at 
length,  the  city  was  taken,  and  most  of  the 
people  killed.  The  king  was  loaded  with 
chains,  and  carried  from  city  to  city,  to  gratify 
the  curiosity  of  the  people. 

Peter.     How  did  he  bear  that,  mother? 

Mother.  His  spirit  was  not  broken  nor  hum- 
bled by  it ;  and  he  clung  to  the  opinions  of  his 
sect  to  the  last.  He  was  finally  taken  back  to 
Munster,  and  put  to  death,  with  lingering  and 
painful  tortures,  which  he  bore  with  great  forti- 
tude.—This  extraordinary  man,  who  had  been 
able  to  acquire  such  amazing  power  over  the 
minds  of  men,  was  only  twenty-six  years  old. 

Elizabeth.  He  must  have  been  a  wonderful 
man,  mother,  or  he  could  not  have  deceived  the 
people  so,    at  such  an  age. 

Mother.  The  history  of  the  Anabaptists  is 
full  of  instruction.     You  see  by  it,  how  fond  peo- 


176  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

pie  are  of  any  thing  that  is  marvellous.  This  is 
especially  so  among  such  ignorant  and  supersti- 
tious people  as  the  German  peasants.  But,  it  is  by 
no  means  confined  to  such.  Even  in  our  own 
country,  where  intelligence  is  so  generally  diffused, 
there  is  a  wonderful  disposition  to  run  after  preten- 
ded prophets.  If  it  were  not  so,  the  delusions  of 
the  Shakers  and  the  Mormonites,  and  others  of  the 
same  class,  could  never  have  gained  a  footing 
here  ;  and  the  Quakers,  who  believe  themselves 
to  be  all  inspired,  would  not  be  so  generally  es- 
teemed as  a  Christian  people. 

Samuel.  Why,  mother,  I  have  always  heard 
the  Quakers  spoken  of  as  a  good  Christian  peo- 
ple. 

Mother.  I  know  they  are  so  spoken  of,  ray 
son ;  but  I  wish  here  to  give  you  all  a  solemn 
warning  against  the  distinguishing  doctrine  of 
of  that  sect,  because  it  is  so  bewitching  and  plau- 
sible to  minds  not  established  in  the  truth  ;  and 
yet,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  pronounce  it  a  soul-de- 
stroying error. 

Peter.     What  is  it,  mother  1 

Mother.  They  hold  that  every  man  has  with- 
in him  a  principle,  which  they  call  inward  lights 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  177 

and  which  they  say  is  sufficient  to  guide  us  in 
every  thing.  This  principle,  they  hold,  is  our 
only  rule  of  faith  and  practice. 

Caroline.  I  thought  the  Bible  was  the  only 
rule  of  faith  and  practice,  mother. 

Mother.  It  is,  my  dear ;  but  they  put  this 
inward  principle  above  the  Bible.  They  call  it 
inspiration ;  and  so,  having,  as  they  suppose,  the 
same  Spirit  which  dictated  the  Bible,  they  claim 
the  right  of  fixing  the  meaning  of  the  Scriptures. 
In  this  way  they  fritter  away  every  thing  in  the 
Bible,  which  does  not  favor  their  own  notions. 
To  adopt  this  sentiment,  is  to  forsake  the  sure 
guide  of  divine  revelation,  and  follow  the  light 
of  reason  and  natural  conscience;  which  is  like 
exchanging  the  glorious  light  of  the  sun  for  the 
faint  beams  of  a  glimmering  taper. 

Samuel.  But,  mother,  they  do  not  call  it  rea- 
son. They  think  that  God  designed  to  make 
miraculous  gifts  and  inspiration  permanent  in 
the  church :  and  that  this  inward  principle  is 
nothing  less  than  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Spir- 
it. I  have  been  very  much  perplexed  to  under- 
stand a  great  many  of  the  promises  of  Christ, 
upon  any  other  ground  than  that  these  gifts  were 
to  continue. 


178  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

Mother.  This  is  a  difficulty  common  to  young 
minds.  But  it  arises  from  a  want  of  discrimina- 
tion. In  the  first  place,  there  is  an  error  in  sup- 
posing that  the  office  of  the  Apostles  was  to  be 
permanent  in  the  church.  This  is  the  grand  er- 
ror of  the  church  of  Rome,  which  has  led  to  all 
the  abominations  arising  from  the  supremacy  of 
the  Pope ;  and  which  has  been  adopted,  with 
some  modification,  by  all  those  denominations, 
who  hold  to  different  orders  of  clergy,  leading 
to  the  establishment  of  an  hierarchy  and  spiritu- 
al tyranny.  The  office  of  the  Apostles  was  spe- 
cial. They  were  commissioned,  and  clothed 
with  miraculous  gifts,  for  the  express  purpose  of" 
bringing  in  and  establishing  the  new  dispensa- 
tion of  the  Gospel.  Now,  if  you  bear  this  in 
mind,  you  will  find  no  difficulty  in  understanding 
those  promises  of  Christ,  which  have  so  often 
been  brought  forward  by  enthusiasts,  to  prove 
that  miraculous  gifts  were  to  continue  in  the 
church.  You  will  see  that  they  were  given  ex- 
pressly to  the  Apostles,  when  Christ  was  giving 
them  directions  respecting  their  commission  ;  and 
that  they  were  not  intended  for  Chnstians  gen- 
erally. 

Samuel.     Still  I  have  some  difficulty  in   prov- 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  179 

ing  that  miraculous  gifts  were  to  cease  with  the 
apostolic  age ;  and  I  have  sometimes  been  almost 
ready  to  conclude  that  it  is  only  for  want  of  faith 
in  the  church,  that  we  do  not  have  them  now. 

Mother.  Well,  my  son,  I  will  mention  a  few 
considerations,  which,  I  think,  will  satisfy  your 
mind  on  this  subject.  The  design  of  the  miracu- 
lous influences  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  was,  to  reveal 
to  man  the  will  of  God,  and  to  establish  the  au- 
thority of  that  revelation.  In  order  to  reveal  the 
truths  necessary  for  man  to  know,  men  were  in- 
spired by  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  such  a  manner  that 
what  they  wrote  came  from  God.  And,  in  order 
to  prove  that  they  were  divinely  inspired,  God 
gave  them  the  power  of  working  miracles  and 
showing  signs  to  the  people.  Again,  as  the 
Apostles  were  commissioned  to  establish  the 
Christian  religion,  in  the  midst  of  unbelief,  and 
the  opposing  influences  of  a  wicked  world,  they 
were  clothed  with  the  power  of  working  mira- 
cles, to  prove  the  truth  of  the  facts  and  doctrines 
which  they  preached ;  and  with  the  power  of 
speaking  many  languages,  to  enable  them  rapidly 
to  make  known  the  Gospel  message,  throughout 
the  world.      When  this    was   done,    miraculous 


180  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

gifts  were  no   longer   necessary.     Their  design 
was  accomplished. 

Samuel.  But  if  ministers  could  now  speak 
by  inspiration,  and  prove  their  doctrines  by  mira- 
cles, would  not  men  be  more  likely  to  believe 
and  embrace  the  gospel  1 

Mother.  I  have  no  reason  to  believe  they 
would.  In  Christ's  parabfe  of  the  rich  man  and 
Lazarus,  when  the  rich  man  begged  Abraham 
to  send  Lazarus  to  preach  to  his  brethren,  Abra- 
ham is  represented  as  saying,  "  If  they  hear  not 
Moses  and  the  prophets,  neither  would  they  hear, 
though  one  rose  from  the  dead."  And  what 
multitudes  saw  the  miracles  wrought  by  Christ 
and  his  Apostles,  and  yet  believed  not.  The 
reason  why  men  do  not  embrace  the  Gospel,  is 
not  that  they  are  not  rationally  convinced  of  its 
truth,  but  that  their  hearts  are  opposed  to  it. 
If  men  loved  the  truths  of  the  Bible,  there  would 
be  no  infidels ;  for  the  evidence  of  the  truth  of 
that  blessed  book  is  overwhelming.  A  constant 
succession  of  miracles  could  not  make  it  more 
so. 

Samuel.  But  Christ  promised  the  Apostles 
that  the  Comforter  should  abide  with  the  church 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  181 

forever.  If  the  Holy  Spirit  were  present  at  this 
day,  as  he  was  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when 
three  thousand  were  converted,  would  there  not 
be  more  power  in  the  church  ? 

Mother.  My  son,  it  was  not  a  miracle  that 
converted  the  three  thousand,  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost.  It  was  the  influence  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  upon  the  heart,  turning  it  to  God;  and 
that  influence  is  still  felt  in  the  church,  and  will 
be  to  the  end  of  the  world.  In  Revivals  of  Re- 
ligion, it  is  exerted  upon  multitudes,  in  the 
same  way  that  it  was  on  the  day  of  Pentecost. 

Elizabeth.  The  promise  of  Christ,  then,  that 
the  Comforter  should  abide  with  us,  is  still  ful- 
filled ? 

Mother.  Yes  ;  and  this  influence,  which  is 
continued  in  the  Church,  is  an  infinitely  greater 
blessing  than  the  one  which  is  discontinued. 
Without  it,  the  church  could  not  exist — without 
it,  no  one  would  embrace  the  Gospel — without 
it,  none  would  he  saved.  But  the  other  has  an- 
swered its  end,  and  is  therefore  no  more  need- 
ed. God  has  revealed  all  that  it  is  necessary  for 
man  to  know,  in  his  Holy  Word.  It  is  therefore 
no  longer  necessary  that  ministers  should  be  in- 
spired. Indeed,  the  Scriptures  are  a  better  rule 
13 


182  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

than  the  inspiration  of  ministers  would  be ;  and 
it  is  evident,  from  the  whole  tenor  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, that  God  intended  his  written  word  to  be 
our  ^^  only  rule  of  faith  and  practice  ;"  and 
that  he  did  not  intend  to  continue  to  reveal  it 
over  again  to  every  generation  of  his  people. 
The  Apostle  Jude  exhorts  Christians  to  **con^ 
tend  earnestly  for  the  faith  once  delivered  to  the 
saints  ;"*  thus  intimating  that  it  would  not  be 
again  revealed.  What  sense  could  there  be  in 
this  passage,  if  the  same  faith  were  to  be  deliv- 
ered anew  to  every  Christian  1  Our  Savior  ex- 
pressly declares  that  he  came  not  to  destroy  the 
law  and  the  prophets ;  and  he  constantly  appeals 
to  the  Scriptures,  to  settle  all  matters  of  dispute, 
although  he  was  himself  greater  than  the  proph- 
ets. The  Bereans  are  commended,  as  more  no- 
ble than  other  converts,  because  they  "  searched 
the  Scriptures  daily,"  to  see  whether  the  things 
preached  by  the  Apostles  were  true.  The  proph- 
et Isaiah,  speaking  of  those  who  should  under- 
take to  lead  the  people,  says,  *'  To  the  law  and 
to  the  testimony :  if  they  speak  not  accord" 
ing  to  this  word,  it  is  because  there  is  no 
light  in  them  ;"t    and  the  Apostle   Peter,    after 

+  Jude  3.  t  Isa.  3 :  SO. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  183 

alluding  to  the  glorious  vision  which  he  saw,  at 
the  transfiguration  of  Christ,  says,  "  We  have 
also  a  more  sure  word  of  prophecy,  whereunto 
ye  do  well  that  ye  take  heed,  as  unto  a  light  that 
shineth  in  a  dark  place."*  This  is  directly  in 
point.  It  shows  that  the  apostle  himself,  who  was 
inspired,  and  who  had  seen  visions  of  glory,  yet 
esteemed  the  written  word  as  a  sure  guide. 

Samuel.  But  I  don't  quite  understand,  mother, 
how  the  written  word  could  be  a  surer  guide 
than  present  revelation. 

Mother.  It  is  permanent.  It  does  not  appear, 
for  a  little  while,  like  a  vision,  and  then  vanish 
away.  We  have  it  continually  with  us.  It  is 
also  certain.  The  writers  of  the  Scriptures  had 
things  revealed  to  them  in  such  a  manner  that 
there  could  be  no  mistake.  But  at  the  same  time 
thUe  were  false  prophets,  who  taught  the  people 
lies.  And  so  if  the  gift  of  prophecy  were  perma- 
nent in  the  Church,  Satan  would  no  doubt  take 
advantage  of  it,  to  deceive  multitudes  with  false 
visions  and  inspirations.  But  he  cannot  change 
the  written  word  of  God. 

Peter.  But,  mother,  it  is  so  difficult  to  under- 
stand the  Bible,  and  there  are  so  many  opinions 

*2Fet.  1:  19. 


184  THE     ANABAPTISTS. 

about  its  meaning,  that  one  don't  know  what  to 
believe. 

Mother.  My  son,  the  great  truths  that  are 
necessary  to  salvation  are  so  plain  that  a  little 
child  can  understand  them.  The  reason  that 
many  people  find  it  so  difficult  to  understand  the 
Bible,  iSj  that  they  do  not  relish  the  truth,  but  set 
themselves  to  quarreling  with  it,  and  trying  to 
make  the  Bible  say  what  it  does  not.  Such  peo- 
ple would  find  the  same  difficulties  with  imme* 
diate  revelation  from  God.  They  would  relish  it 
no  better ;  and  if  it  were  accompanied  with  mira- 
cles, they  would  not  believe  it,  unless  their  hearts 
were  changed  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  But  if  any 
person  will  come  to  the  Bible  with  the  simple 
confidence  of  a  child,  determined  to  believe  just 
what  it  teaches,  these  difficulties  will  vanish.  If 
I  have  proved,  as  I  think  1  have,  that  the  Scrip- 
tures were  intended  to  be  our  "  only  rule  of  faith 
and  practice,"  it  will  follow,  of  course,  that,  after 
these  were  completed,  there  would  be  no  need  of 
any  further  revelation  of  the  will  of  God.  Then 
we  might  expect  that,  when  all  that  was  neces- 
sary had  been  revealed,  the  Scriptures  would  be 
closed  and  sealed  up.  And  1  think  I  can  show 
that  this  was  done.     We  have  an  express  intima- 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  185 

tion  of  this,  in  the  prophecy  of  Daniel.  The  an- 
gel told  him  that  the  Lord  had  appointed  seventy 
weeks  from  the  time  that  the  commandment  went 
forth  to  rebuild  the  temple,  to  bring  in  and  es- 
tablish the  Gospel  dispensation. 

Samuel.  But,  mother,  it  was  more  than  sev- 
enty weeks  from  that  time  to  the  coming  of  Christ. 

Mother.  You  will  recollect  that  the  Jews  were 
taught  to  observe  a  week  of  years  ;  and  that  often 
the  Lord,  in  speaking  to  them,  put  a  day  for  a 
year.*  This  prophecy  of  Daniel  is  generally  un- 
derstood, by  learned  men,  as  meaning  seventy 
weeks  of  years;  which  would  be  four  hundred 
and  ninety  years;  and  this  time  is  generally  un- 
derstood to  extend  to  the  establishment  of  the 
gospel  dispensation,  and  the  overturning  of  the 
temple  worship;  or  to  the  close  of  the  apostolic 
age.  Elizabeth,  you  may  read  the  passage  in 
Daniel. 

Elizabeth.  "Seventy  weeks  are  determined 
upon  thy  people,  and  upon  thy  holy  city,  to  finish 
the  transgression,  and  to  make  an  end  of  sins, 
and  to  make  reconciliation  for  iniquity,  and  to 
bring  in  everlasting  righteousness,   and   to  seal 

*  Nura,  14 :  3,  4,    Ezek.  4  ;  6,.   Lev.  25  :  1—7, 


186  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

UP  THE  VISION  AND  PROPHECY,  and  to  anoinl  the 
Most  Holy."     Dan.  9:  24. 

Mother.  Here  you  see  one  of  the  things  to  be 
done  in  this  period,  was,  to  seal  up  the  vision  and 
prophecy, 

Caroline.     What  does  that  mean,  mother.? 

Mother.  The  prophecies  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment all  pointed  forward  to  the  coming  of  Christ. 
When  he  came,  they  were  fulfilled ;  and  when 
the  Scriptures  were  completed,  and  all  was  re- 
vealed that  was  necessary  for  us  to  know,  the 
revelation  was  closed,  as  we  seal  up  a  letter  that 
is  finished.  Now  let  us  see  if  we  can  find  any 
evidence  that  the  Scriptures  were  thus  sealed  up. 
In  the  first  place,  we  will  look  at  the  close  of  the 
Old  Testament.  For,  when  all  had  been  re- 
vealed that  was  necessary  to  be  known  before  the 
coming  of  Christ,  the  Old  Testament  was  sealed 
up,  and  there  was  no  more  revelation  till  the 
coming  of  John  the  Baptist,  who  ushered  in  the 
new  dispensation.  In  the  last  chapter  of  Mala- 
chi,  the  Lord  directs  the  children  of  Israel  to  ob- 
serve the  Law  of  Moses ;  and  then  immediately 
tells  them  that  he  will  send  them  Elijah  the 
prophet,  to  prepare  the  way  for  the  coming  of  the 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  187 

Messiah ;  thus  intimating  that  they  were  not  to 
expect  any  farther  revelation,  until  the  appearing 
of  the  forerunner  of  the  new  dispensation;  and 
this  is  true,  for  no  prophet  came,  and  no  vision 
was  seen,  from  that  time  till  the  angel  appeared 
to  Zacharias,  to  announce  the  birth  of  John  the 
Baptist.  It  is  generally  understood  that  the  book 
of  Revelation  was  written  last  of  all  the  books  of 
the  New  Testament.  Let  us  see  if  we  can  find 
any  thing  in  the  close  of  this  book,  like  what  we 
have  noticed  in  Malachi.  The  Lord  Jesus  utters 
a  solemn  and  awful  warning  against  any  man 
that  shall  presume  to  add  to  the  prophecy  of  this 
book,  or  take  from  it;  and  then  immediately  af- 
ter refers  to  his  second  coming;  as  though  no 
more  revelation  was  to  be  expected  till  that  event.* 

Samuel.  But  was  not  that  solemn  warning 
spoken  particularly  with  reference  to  the  book  of 
Revelation  1 

Mother.  Yes ;  I  have  no  doubt  that  it  has  a 
special  reference  to  that  book  ;  but  taken  in  con- 
nection with  the  fact  that  it  was  the  last  book  o  f 
the  Bible,  and  with  the  intimation  which  appears 
to  be  contained  in  it,  of  the  sealing  up  of  Revela- 
tion, I  think  it  was  also  intended  to  apply  to  the 

*  Rev.  22 :  18—21. 


188 


THE    ANABAPTISTS. 


whole  Bible ;  and  to  contain  an  awful  warning 
to  any  person  who  should,  before  the  last  coming^ 
of  Christ,  presume  to  appear  in  the  character  of 
a  prophet,  and  add  to  the  truth  already  revealed, 
or  take  from  it.  And  as  there  is  no  evidence 
that  any  prophet  has  since  appeared,  who  could 
prove  his  inspiration  by  miracles,  I  think  we  have 
conclusive  proof  that  the  miraculous  influences  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  were  never  designed  to  continue 
beyond  the  apostolic  age.  There  is  certainly  a 
very  marked  resemblance  between  the  sealing  up 
of  the  canon  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments ; 
and  also,  a  striking  resemblance  in  the  facts  that 
followed ;  as  miraculous  gifts  did,  in  both  in- 
stances, cease  with  the  last  inspired  writer. 
And  as  no  vision  was  again  seen,  until  the  time 
mentioned  in  the  conclusion  of  the  Old  Testa- 
ment ;  so  we  may  not  expect  any  farther  vision  to 
appear  till  the  time  mentioned  in  the  sealing  up 
of  the  New  Testament.  The  first  time  mention- 
ed was  the  first  appearing  of  the  Messiah ;  the 
second  time,  is  his  second  coming,  with  power 
and  great  glory,  to  judge  the  world. 

Samuel  I  am  satisfied  now.  Your  arguments 
have  cleared  up  some  difficulties,  which  have 
troubled  me  very  much.     But  my  mind  is  not 


THE    ANABAPTISTS. 


189 


quite  clear  yet,  as  to  the  kind  of  divine  influence 
which  we  are  to  expect  in  this  age.  The  apostle 
Paul  says,  "  As  many  as  are  led  hy  the  Spirit  of 
God,  they  are  the  sons  of  God."*  What  does 
this  mean,  if  not,  that  the  Spirit  of  God  is  to  be 
our  guide  1 

Mother.  It  is  true  that  the  Spirit  of  God  is  to 
be  our  guide.  Christians  are  led  by  the  Spirit ; 
but  not  by  direct  impulse,  independent  of  the 
truth.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  author  of  the 
Scriptures ;  and  his  influences,  in  the  conversion 
and  sanctification  of  his  people,  are  spoken  of  in 
connection  with  the  truth.  "  Of  his  own  will  be- 
gat he  us,  with  the  word  of  truth.''  "  Seeing  ye 
have  purified  your  souls,  in  obeying  the  truth, 
through  the  Spirit."  *'  Sanctify  them  through 
thy  truth:  thy  word  is  truth. "t  Here,  it  is 
all-important  that  you  should  not  mistake ;  for  I 
have  no  doubt  that  even  many  Christians  have 
become  a  prey  to  the  Adversary,  and  run  into 
wild  extravagances,  in  consequence  of  adopting 
an  erroneous  opinion  upon  this  point.  The  office 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  the  present  age  of  the 
church,  is  not  to  reveal  any  new  truth,  but  to  ap- 
ply the  truth  already  revealed,  and  to  incline  the 

*  £om.  8 :  14.    f  Jam.  1 :  18.    Pet.  1 :  ^2.    John  17 :  17. 


190 


THE    ANABAPTISTS. 


hearts  of  men  to  obey  it.  And  his  operations  can- 
not be  sensibly  felt,  separate  from  the  exercises 
of  our  own  minds.  "The  wind  bloweth  where 
it  listeth,  and  thou  hearest  the  sound  thereof,  but 
canst  not  tell  whence  it  cometh  nor  whither  it 
goeth."  This  is  the  description  which  our  Savior 
has  given,  of  the  operations  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
upon  the  hearts  of  men.  We  cannot  see  the 
wind ;  but  we  can  see  its  effects :  we  can  see  the 
trees  move  and  the  clouds  fly  before  it.  So,  we 
cannot  tell  how  it  is,  that  the  Spirit  operates  up- 
on our  minds,  so  as  to  produce  holy  desires  and 
feelings.  But  when  we  have  these  desires  and 
feelings,  we  know  they  are  produced  by  the  Spirit 
of  God,  because  he  has  taught  us  in  his  Holy 
Word,  that  there  is  no  good  in  us  by  nature,  and 
that  every  good  emotion  is  wrought  in  us  by  the 
Holy  Ghost. 

Samuel.  But  are  not  the  feelings  produced  by 
the  Holy  Spirit  so  different  from  all  other  feelings 
that  I  can  certainly  know  that  he  is  the  author 
of  them? 

Mother.  They  are  not  different  in  themselves. 
For  example,  the  emotions  o^joy  and  sorrow  are 
the  same,  whether  true  or  false ;  but  they  are 
excited  by  different  objects.     A  person  who  has 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  191 

been  for  some  time  in  great  distress  of  mind, 
arising  from  the  fear  of  hell,  may  suddenly  be- 
come very  joyful,  from  the  belief  that  his  sins  are 
pardoned  ;  and  yet  this  belief  may  have  no  ration- 
al foundation.  Multitudes  have  doubtless  settled 
down  upon  false  hopes,  in  this  vi^ay.  And  their 
feelings,  both  of  joy  and  sorrow,  are  the  same  in 
their  nature,  as  those  that  are  genuine ;  and  as 
simple  emotions,  the  one  cannot  be  distinguished 
from  the  other. 

Samuel.  How  then  can  I  tell  whether  my 
feelings  are  right  or  wrong  ? 

Mother.  You  can  only  tell  by  their  character ; 
and  you  can  only  determine  their  character,  by 
comparing  them  with  the  word  of  God.  All  feel- 
ing produced  by  the  spirit  of  God,  will  agree 
with  his  word  ;  for  "  he  cannot  deny  himself  J' — 
Godly  sorrow,  which  is  the  genuine  fruit  of  the 
Spirit,  will  flow  from  a  sense  of  sin ;  and  "  joy  in 
the  Holy  Ghost,"  arises  less  from  the  prospect  of 
escaping  punishment,  than  from  that  of  deliver- 
ance from  the  bondage  of  sin,  and  a  contempla- 
tion of  the  glorious  perfections  of  God,  as  they 
are  displayed  in  the  great  work  of  redemption. 
When  we  rejoice  in  God,  contemplated  as  a  sove- 
reign,  in   whom    are   united  Holiness,  Justice, 


192  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

Goodness,  and  Truth,  then  we  may  be  sure  that 
our  joy  is  produced  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  And  so, 
we  may  judge  of  every  class  of  emotions,  and  de- 
termine whether  they  are  spiritual  or  not,  by 
comparing  them  with  the  word  of  God. 

Samuel.  Well,  mother,  if  I  have  a  strong  im- 
pression upon  my  mind,  that  I  ought  to  do  a  cer- 
tain thing,  and  I  cannot  get  rid  of  it,  but  it  fol- 
lows me  all  the  time,  day  after  day,  does  not  that 
come  from  the  Spirit  of  God  ?  And  is  it  not  my 
duty  to  obey  the  impulse  ? 

Mother.  It  is  not  certain  that  it  is  your  duty 
to  do  any  thing,  because  you  have  a  strong  im- 
pression that  you  ought  to  do  it.  This  impres- 
sion may  come  from  the  Spirit  of  God,  or  it  may 
come  from  Satan. 

Samuel.  But  how  shall  I  know  from  whom  it 
comes  ? 

Mother.  If  it  is  any  thing  which  the  Scrip- 
tures, taken  in  connection  with  the  providence 
of  God  and  your  present  circumstances,  clearly 
point  out  as  a  thing  which  you  ought  to  do,  you 
may  safely  conclude  that  the  impression  upon 
your  mind,  arises  from  the  Spirit  of  God,  stirring 
up  your  conscience  to  a  sense  of  duty.  But,  if 
you  conclude  that  it  is  your  duty  to  do  any  thing. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  193 

hecause  you  have  a  st?wng  impression  that  you 
ought  to  do  it,  jou  bring  in  a  new  rule  of  action  ; 
and  there  is  no  end  to  the  extravagances  to  which 
it  will  lead.  This  is  the  very  starting  point  of 
enthusiasm.  If  you  trace  up  all  the  wild  fire  and 
extravagance  that  has  ever  afflicted  the  church, 
you  will  'find  that  it  has  originated  here.  You 
see  an  example  of  this,  in  the  case  of  the  Ana- 
baptists. At  first  they  professed  to  have  the  spi- 
rit of  prophecy,  and  to  be  led  by  the  Holy  Ghost ; 
and  there  was  so  much  sincerity  and  sanctity  in 
their  appearance,  that  the  learned  Melancthon, 
and  even  the  cautious  Frederic,  came  very  near 
being  deceived  by  them.  But  their  supposed 
revelation  led  them  to  adopt  a  false  guide  :  and 
they  soon  showed  themselves  to  be  a  set  of  vis- 
ionary enthusiasts.  Then,  their  wicked  and  ma- 
lignant passions,  united  with  their  enthusiastic 
spirit,  converted  them  into  furies.  This  is  the 
origin  of  Fanaticism.  And  now,  I  wish  deeply 
to  impress  upon  your  hearts  this  sentiment : — 
There  is  no  safety  in  departing  from  the 

SIMPLE  meaning  OF  THE  W  RITTEN  WORD  OF  GoD. 

If  you  take  this  for  your  standard  of  right  and 
wrong,  and  form  all  your  opinions   firom  it,  and 


194  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

make  it  the  guide  of  all  your  conduct,  there  is  no 
danger  of  your  going  astray. 

Elizabeth.  But  is  there  not  danger  of  our 
mistakinor  its  meanincr  ? 

Mother.  There  is  very  little  danger  of  your 
mistaking  its  meaning,  on  any  essential  point, 
provided  you  come  to  the  study  of  it  with  a  right 
spirit.  If  you  form  your  opinions  first,  and  then 
go  to  the  Bible  to  prove  them,  you  will  be  sure 
to  err;  you  will  make  it  mean  just  what  you  wish 
to  have  it.  But,  if  you  come  to  it  with  an  hum- 
ble, teachable  spirit,  ready  to  bow  your  will  to 
the  will  of  God,  and  to  believe  just  what  he  has 
taught,  without  asking  a  reason  for  his  conduct, 
you  will  find,  in  general,  a  very  plain  book,  and 
easy  to  be  understood. 

Peter.  Mother,  the  Apostle  Peter  says  there 
are  many  things  in  the  writings  of  Paul,  which 
are  hard  to  be  understood. 

Mother.  Yes,  my  son,  there  are  many  doc- 
trines taught  in  the  Bible,  which  it  is  hard  for  us 
fully  to  comprehend,  in  all  their  bearings ;  but, 
upon  the  great  truths  of  religion,  it  is  generally 
easy  to  understand  what  the  sacred  writers  mean,, 
and  to  see  that  they  teach  certain  facts  and  doc- 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  195 

trines.  And  we  may  believe  these  doctrines  and 
facts,  without  ui  derstanding  why  they  should  be 
true,  or  how  they  exist.  It  is  for  us  to  believe 
them,  because  God  has  revealed  them,  without 
inquiring  into  the  reason  and  the  mode  of  their 
existence. 

Samuel.  But,  is  there  not  sometimes  a  hidden 
meaning  to  the  Bible. 

Mother.  No  farther  than  that  there  may  be 
prophecies  which  cannot  be  fully  understood  till 
they  are  fulfilled,  or  truths  which  cannot  be  real- 
ized till  they  are  experienced.  This  is  true 
of  every  thing  that  relates  to  the  new  hirth. — 
There  is  nothing  mystical  about  it.  The  truths 
revealed  respecting  this  great  moral  change,  are 
as  "plain  as  language  can  make  them ;  and  yet, 
their  full  meaning  cannot  be  comprehended  till 
they  are  experienced  in  the  soul.  But  nothing 
has,  perhaps,  done  more  mischief  to  the  Church 
than  the  attempts  which  have  been  made  to  spi- 
ritualize the  word  of  God,  and  fix  upon  it  a  mys- 
tical signification,  which  does  not  appear  on  the 
face  of  it. 

Elizabeth.  Well,  I  suppose  the  defeat  of  the 
Anabaptists,  at  Munster,  put  an  end  to  the  sect. 

Mother.     It  is  but  justice  to  mention  that  the 


196  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

whole  body  of  this  sect,  were  not  chargeable  with 
these  seditious  proceedings.  Dr.  Mosheim  says  of 
them,  "It  would  betray  ignorance  or  want  of 
candor,  to  deny  that  there  were,  every  where,  per- 
sons who  held,  in  general,  to  the  same  opinions, 
and  yet  lived  more  peaceably ;  in  whom  no  fault 
can  be  found  except  their  erroneous  opinions, 
and  their  zeal  to  spread  them.  Nor  do  I  fear  to 
add,  that,  among  the  followers,  not  only  of  these 
more  sober  Anabaptists,  but  even  those  altogeth- 
er misguided,  there  were  many  persons  of  honest 
intentions,  and  of  real  piety,  whom  an  unsuspect- 
ing simplicity,  and  a  laudable  desire  to  reform 
the  church,  had  led  to  join  the  party."  Wheth- 
er the  class  referred  to  here,  held  the  opinions 
which  led  to  the  fanatical  proceedings  already 
mentioned,  it  is  not  easy  to  determine.  But  it 
is  not  unlikely  that  there  might  be  many,  who  ab- 
horred these  mischievous  doctrines,  but  were  in- 
volved in  the  general  odium  which  these  meas- 
ures brought  upon  the  sect.  It  is  no  uncommon 
thing,  in  times  of  such  excitement,  for  all  who 
hold  a  single  prominent  sentiment  in  common,  to 
be  charged  with  all  the  errors  and  crimes,  which 
may  be  held  and  practised  by  individuals  who 
hold  the  common  sentiment.     This  is  the  gross- 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  197 

est  injustice ;  and  yet,  men  of  the  world,  as  rul- 
ers generally  are,  as  well  as  the  great  mass  of 
the  people,  are  unable  to  discriminate  in  such 
matters ;  and  so  are  ever  ready  to  condemn  the 
innocent  with  the  guilty.  This  appears  to  have 
been  the  case  with  the  Anabaptists.  The  vio- 
lent and  rebellious  spirit  of  the  fanatical  portion 
of  them  brought  a  general  and  bloody  persecu- 
tion upon  all  who  held  the  common  sentiment  in 
regard  to  baptism.  It  is  said  that  no  less  than  one 
hundred  thousand  perished  in  this  persecution. 
Very  many  of  these  were  put  to  death  for  holding 
and  teaching  opinions  calculated  to  overturn  all 
governments,  and  civil  institutions,  and  for  carry- 
ing out  these  opinions  in  acts  of  rebellion.  These 
suffered  justly,  being  guilty  of  treason,  which  is  a 
capital  crime  in  all  governments.  But  it  is  also 
true  that  many  Anabaptists  were  put  to  death, 
not  as  being  bad  citizens,  but  for  holding  that 
adults  onfy  ought  to  baptized. 

Samuel.  How  strange  it  is,  mother,  that  any 
government  should  put  to  death  good  citizens, 
for  so  slight  a  cause  as  that. 

Mother,     It  was  for  conscience'  sake ;  and  it  is 
very  probable  that  many  sincere  Christians  suf- 
fered by  it.     Yet,  when  we  consider  the   state  of 
14 


198  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

the  European  governments  at  that  time,  together 
with  the  odium  which  was  attached  to  the  name 
of  'Anabaptists J  on  account  of  the  tumults  rais- 
ed by  a  portion  of  them,  it  is  not  strange  that  all 
who  bore  the  name,  should  be  punished  as  dis* 
turbers  of  the  peace.  But  a  great  change  took 
place  in  the  affairs  of  this  sect  about  the  year 
1537.  A  popish  priest,  of  the  name  of  Menno, 
joined  them,  and  was  the  means  of  changing 
their  character,  and  greatly  increasing  their  num- 
bers. He  was  priest  of  a  church  in  Pinningen, 
in  Friesland.  His  rector  had  some  learning; 
with  another  clergymen  under  him,  he  had  some 
knowledge  of  the  Scriptures.  But  Menno  would 
never  read  them,  for  fear  they  would  mislead  him. 

Samuel.  O  how  Popery  ^degrades  the  minds 
of  men.  What  a  little  mind  a  man  must  have,  to 
be  afraid  to  examine  any  thing,  from  the  fear  of 
having  his  opinions  changed. 

Mother.  Yes;  such  is  the  abject  slavery  in 
which  Popery  holds  the  minds  of  men.  But,  al- 
though Menno  was  afraid  of  reading  the  Bible, 
he  was  not  afraid  of  spending  his  time  with  other 
priests,  in  drinking  and  gambling.  But,  one 
time,  as  he  was  reading  mass,  he  says  a  doubt 
came  across  his  mind,  whether  it  could  be   the 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  199 

real  body  and  blood  of  Christ.  At  first,  he  sup- 
posed it  was  the  suggestion  of  the  devil ;  and  he 
confessed  it,  and  prayed,  but  could  not  get  rid  of 
it.  But,  at  length,  he  began  to  read  the  New 
Testament,  and  soon  found  that  he  had  been  de- 
ceived. He  went  on  examining  the  Scriptures, 
till  he  became  an  evangelical  preacher,  and  the 
people  began  to  love  him.  But,  at  this  time,  he 
heard  that  a  man  had  been  put  to  death,  because 
he  had  been  baptized.  He  was,  at  first,  surpris- 
ed to  learn  that  a  man  had  been  baptized  the 
second  time.  But  he  examined  the  Scriptures, 
and  could  find  nothing  said  about  infant  baptism. 

Samuel.  Well,  mother  ;  I  have  many  difficul- 
ties in  my  mind,  on  that  subject.  I  have  been 
very  diligently  studying  the  Bible,  to  find  some- 
thing to  prove  that  infants  should  be  baptized  ; 
but  I  can  find  nothing  about  it. 

Mother.  I  see  you  are  laboring  under  a  diffi- 
culty arising  from  a  fundamental  mistake,  as  to 
the  kind  of  evidence  required  to  establish  the 
truth.  The  Baptists  say  they  must  have  a  "  TJius 
saith  the  Lord,"  for  every  thing  they  believe. 

Samuel.  Well,  is  not  that  a  good  rule?  The 
prophet  says,  '*  To  the  law  and  to  the  testimony  ; 


200  THE     ANABAPTISTS. 

if  they  speak  not  according  to  this  word,  it  is  be- 
cause there  is  no  light  in  them." 

Mother.  True,  my  son  ;  but  there  are  many 
things  taught  in  the  Bible,  which  we  cannot  find 
there  in  so  many  words.  Let  us  apply  the  prin- 
ciples of  reasoning,  adopted  by  the  Baptists,  and 
see  where  it  will  lead  us.  You  may  read  the 
whole  New  Testament,  from  beginning  to  end, 
and  you  will  not  find  any  place  where  permission 
is  given,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  for  females 
to  be  admitted  to  the  communion.  At  the  insti- 
tution of  the  Lord's  Supper,  there  were  none 
present  but  the  twelve  apostles ;  and  we  have  no 
account  of  its  celebration  afterwards,  where  it  is 
expressly  said  that  females  partook  of  the  ordi- 
nance. 

Samuel.  I  never  thought  of  that,  mother. — 
How  then  can  we  show  that  they  ought  to  be  ad- 
mitted ? 

Mother.  Just  in  the  way  that  we  prove  that 
infants  ought  to  be  baptized.  The  passover  point- 
ed forward  to  the  coming  of  Christ,  and  repre- 
sented the  great  sacrifice  which  he  was  to  make 
for  our  sins.  The  Lord's  Supper  now  points  us 
hack  to  his  death,  representing  the  same  great 
day  of  the  week,  or  none  at  all :  for  there  is  no 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  201 

sacrifice.  These  two  feasts,  therefore,  though 
different  in  form,  have,  in  substance,  the  same 
meaning.  Females  partook  of  this  passover,  and 
we  infer  that  they  may  also  partake  of  the  Lord's 
Supper.  Again,  females  were  baptized  ;*  and  if 
they  were  entitled  to  one  of  the  sacraments,  we 
can  see  no  reason  why  they  should  not  be  admit- 
ted to  the  other.  Besides  this,  as  females  were 
received  into  the  church,  on  an  equal  footing 
with  males,  we  can  see  no  reason  why  they 
should  not  be  admitted  to  the  communion  table  ; 
and,  as  the  primitive  church  consisted  of  both 
males  and  females,  when  it  is  said  the  disciples 
came  together  to  break  bread,  we  may  safely 
conclude  that  the  women  were  among  them. 
Many  other  arguments  might  be  mentioned ;  but 
these  are  sufficient  to  show  upon  what  kind  of 
evidence  this  question  must  be  settled.  If  we 
look  for  a  direct  expression  of  the  will  of  God,  in 
relation  to  it,  we  cannot  find  it  in  the  Bible;  and 
therefore,  if  we  follow  the  Baptist  rule,  we  must 
not  admit  them  to  the  Lords  Supper.  And  the 
sanjie  kind  of  reasoning  must  lead  us  to  reject  the 
Christian  Sabbath,  and  either  keep  the  seventh 
express   direction,  in   the   New  Testament,   for 

*  See  Acts  16 :  15. 


202  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

changing  the  Sabbath  from  the  seventh  to  the 
first  day  of  the  week.  Accordingly,  in  carrying 
out  their  mode  of  reasoning,  one  sect  of  Bap- 
tists* do  keep  the  seventh  day  of  the  week. 
Many  others,  among  the  orthodox  Baptists,  in  or- 
der to  be  consistent,  have  been  under  the  neces- 
sity of  adopting  the  sentiment,  that  the  ten  com- 
mandments stand  on  the  same  footing  as  the  cer- 
emonial law  of  the  Jews;  and  that  none  of  them 
are  binding  upon  us,  except  such  as  are  purely 
of  a  moral  nature,  and  not  dependent  upon  the 
direct  command  of  God  for  their  authority, 

Samuel.  But  don't  they  keep  the  Sabbath  at 
all  ? 

Mother.  Yes ;  they  profess  to  find  authority 
for  keeping  it  as  a  day  for  public  worship,  from 
the  example  of  the  apostles ;  but  they  do  not  at- 
tach the  same  degree  of  sanctity  to  the  day, 
which  those  do,  who  keep  it  on  the  authority  of 
the  fourth  commandment.  And  wherever  this 
sentiment  is  adopted,  its  effects  may  be  seen  in 
the  loose  manner  in  which  the  day  is  kept.  I  do 
not  say,  however,  that  all  the  Baptists  take  this 
ground.  I  believe  a  large  proportion  of  them  do 
not.  But  I  do  say  that  their  principles  of  rear 
*  Sabbatarians. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  203 

soning,  in  regard  to  infant  baptism,  require  them 
to  take  it,  in  order  to  be  consistent. 

Samuel  Well,  mother,  I  have  felt  the  same 
difficulty,  in  regard  to  the  Sabbath.  If  we  are  to 
keep  the  Sabbath  from  the  authority  of  the  fourth 
commandment,  how  can  we  get  rid  of  keeping 
the  seventh  day  of  the  week?  How  can  an  im-, 
mutable  command  be  changed  ? 

Mother.  Here  you  discover  a  want  of  dis- 
crimination. You  must  learn  to  distinguish 
between  the  thing  required  by  law,  and  the  mode 
or  manner  of  observing  it.  The  former  cannot 
be  changed  without  repealing  the  law;  but  the 
latter  may  be  altered,  without  defeating  the  ob- 
ject of  the  precept.  The  design  of  the  fourth 
commandment  is,  to  secure  the  kec^ping  of  one 
day  in  seven  holy  to  the  Lord.  Hence  the  com- 
mand is  to  remember  the  Sabbath  day,  to  keep  it 
holy.  In  the  explanatory  part  of  the  law,  the 
day  to  be  kept  is  specified.  But  you  will  readi- 
ly see  that  a  change  in  the  day,  will  not  affect 
the  institution  itself. 

Samuel.  But  upon  what  authority  do  we 
change  the  day  1  There  is  no  command  for  it  in 
the  New  Testament. 

3Iother.     No  ;  but  the  Apostles  were  commis- 


304  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

sioned  by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  establish  the 
order  of  worship,  under  the  new  dispensation ; 
and  there  is  abundant  evidence  that  the  Apostles 
and  primitive  Christians  met  for  public  worship, 
on  the  first  day  of  the  week.*  And,  as  they  had 
always  been  accustomed  to  attend  public  worship 
on  the  Sabbath,  we  infer  that  they  intended  to 
change  the  day,  so  as  to  make  the  Christian  Sab- 
bath commemorate  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  in- 
stead of  the  creation  of  the  world.  And  as  this 
is  no  alteration  o^  i\\e  substance  of  the  law,  but 
only  in  the  mode  of  its  observance,  we  consider 
this  change  as  consistent  with  the  strict  ob- 
servance of  the  fourth  commandment. 

Samuel.  But  is  there  any  evidence  in  the  Bi- 
ble to  show  that  the  early  Christians  kept  the  first 
day  of  the  week  to  commemorate  the  resurrec- 
tion of  Christ? 

Mother.  Yes;  they  began  to  keep  it  imme- 
diately after  Christ  arose  ;  and  the  Apostle  John, 
in  the  Revelation,  calls  it  the  Lord's  day  :  i.  e. 
the  day  on  which  the  Lord  arose. 

Samuel.     Well,  mother,  how  would  you   an- 

*  John  20  :  19,  26.— In  rerkoning  time,  tlie  Jews  included  both 
the  first  and  the  last  day  of  a  given  period;  so  tliat  eight  days 
would  bring  fhem  to  the  same  day  of  the  week.  Acts  20:  7. 
1  Cor.  16 :  2. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  205 

swer  the  objection,  that  the  fourth  commandment, 
being  a  positive  institution;  and  not  a  moral  pre- 
cept, is  not  binding  upon  us? 

Mother.  In  the  first  place,  I  say  that  the  ten 
commandments  were  distinguished  from  that  part 
of  the  law  of  Moses  which  only  related  to  the  old 
dispensation,  by  being  pronounced,  by  the  voice 
of  God  himself,  to  all  the  people,  and  by  being 
written  with  the  finger  of  God,  upon  the  tables 
of  STONE,  to  show  that  they  were  to  be  perma- 
nent; while  the  ceremonial  law,  which  was  ful- 
filled and  done  away  in  Christ,  was  delivered  to 
Moses,  in  the  mount,  and  by  him  written  in  a 
book.  The  ten  commandments,  then,  1  consider 
not  only  morally,  hui  positwely  binding  upon  all 
mankind.  But,  independent  of  this,  there  is  un- 
questionable evidence  that  the  Sabbath  was  de- 
signed for  all  mankind ;  for  it  was  instituted  in 
the  garden  of  Eden ;  and  the  fourth  command- 
ment does  not  speak  of  it  as  a  new  institution. 
All  the  other  commandments  begin  with  "  Thou 
shalt;'^  but  this  one  begins  with  ^^  Remember ^^ 
showing  that  it  was  only  calling  attention  to  an 
institution  already  in  existence.  These,  howev- 
er, are  only  a  ie^N  of  the  principal  arguments  in 
favor  of  the  Christian  Sabbath ;  and  I  have  men- 


206  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

tioned  them,  not  so  much  to  prove  that  we  ought 
to  observe  the  first  day  of  the  week,  as  to  show 
that  the  Christian  Sabbath  depends  on  the  same 
kind  of  proof  as  Infant  Baptism.  We  can  find 
no  direct  command  for  the  change  of  the  Sabbath; 
but  we  have  evidence  that  satisfies  our  minds. 

Samuel.  Well,  how  do  you  prove  that  infants 
should  be  baptized  % 

Mother.  We  think  the  church  of  God  has 
been  the  same  in  substance,  under  every  dispensa- 
tion. It  was  first  established  in  the  family  of 
Abraham.  Both  among  the  patriarchs,  and  un* 
der  the  law,  it  consisted  of  believers  and  their 
children.  Circumcision  was  then  the  rite  by 
which  they  were  admitted  into  the  church;  and 
that  was  applied  to  children.  We  see  no  reason 
why  the  Gospel  dispensation  should  change  this 
feature  of  the  church :  why  it  should  not  now,  as 
well  as  then,  include  the  children  of  believers. 
And  as  Baptism  is  now  the  rite  by  which  mem- 
bers are  received  into  the  church,  we  see  not 
why  it  should  not  be  administered  to  the  children 
of  believers. 

Samuel.  Well,  can  you  prove  that  the  children 
of  believers  were  baptized  by  the  Apostles  1 
That  will  satisfy  me. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS. 


207 


Mother.  I  think  I  can  find  all  the  evidence 
that  the  circumstances  of  the  case  would  lead  us 
to  expect ;  and  that  is  all  that  we  should  ask. 
When  you  are  reading  the  Missionary  Herald,  do 
yoa  find  the  missionaries  giving  any  account  of 
the  baptism  of  infants  ? 

Samuel.  Very  seldom,  mother  ;  but  they  of- 
ten tell  of  baptizing  converts. 

Mother.  Well,  the  accounts  in  the  Missiona- 
ry Herald  are  much  more  particular  than  the  his- 
tories contained  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  ; 
which  is  the  only  history  w^e  have  of  the  Church 
in  the  days  of  the  Apostles.  We  have  twelve 
Missionary  Heralds  in  a  year ;  but  the  book  of 
Acts,  which  is  not  much  larger  than  one  of 
them,  contains  the  history  of  the  Church  for 
thirty  years.  You  would  not  then  expect  much 
to  be  said  about  the  baptism  of  infants,  admit- 
ting that  it  was  generally  practised. 

Samuel.  No,  I  should  scarcely  expect  any 
thing  to  be  said  about  it ;  and  if  it  was  mention- 
ed at  all,  I  should  suppose  it  would  be  done  in- 
cidentally, in  connection  with  something  else. 

Mother.  Well,  just  such  allusions  we  have. 
In  the  sixteenth  chapter  of  Acts,  and  fourteenth 
and   fifteenth  verses,  we  are  told  that  the   Lord 


208  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

opened  the  heart  of  Lydia  to  attend  to  the  preach- 
ing of  Paul ;  and  that  she  and  her  household 
were  baptized.  And  in  the  same  chapter,  we 
have  an  account  of  the  conversion  of  the  jailer, 
who  is  said  to  have  been  baptized,  "  he  and  all 
his,  straightway." 

Samuel.  But  in  the  next  verse  it  is  said  that 
he  "  rejoiced,  believing  in  God,  with  all  his 
house."  Does  not  this  prove  that  they  were  all 
baptized  ? 

Mother.  If  one  of  our  missionaries,  who 
practices  infant  baptism,  were  to  say  in  his 
journal  published  in  the  Missionary  Herald,  that, 
on  a  certain  occasion,  he  had  baptized  a  certain 
lady  and  her  family,  and  on  another  occasion, 
that  he  had  baptized  a  man  of  rank,  with  his 
family,  and  that  he  rejoiced,  believing  in  Christ, 
with  all  his  family,  how  should  we  understand 
him? 

Samuel.  It  would  strike  my  mind,  at  once, 
that  he  had  baptized  the  lady  and  her  children 
and  servants,  as  we  often  see  it  done  here,  when 
a  person  with  a  family  joins  the  church.  And 
the  same  I  should  think  of  the  man. 

Mother.  Well,  would  you  think  that  all  the 
man's  family  were  grown  up,  because   the   mis- 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  209 

sionary  said  he  believed  and  rejoiced,  with  all 
his  family  ? 

Samuel.  No ;  I  should  suppose  when  he  said 
the  whole  family  believed  and  rejoiced,  he  only 
meant  all  who  were  capable  of  believing  and  re- 
joicing. 

Mother.  Now  apply  the  same  method  of  ex- 
planation to  these  passages,  aud  how  will  you 
understand  them  ?  On  the  supposition  that  in- 
fant baptism  was  practised  in  the  primitive 
churches,  no  farther  reference  to  the  subject  was 
needed,  in  order  to  be  fully  understood  by  the 
persons  for  whom  this  book  was  written. — Paul 
also  gives  an  account  of  the  baptism  of  another 
household,  in  his  first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians  ,* 
and  he  evidently  alludes  to  the  baptism  of  infants, 
in  the  seventh  chapter  of  the  same  epistle,  and 
the  fourteenth  verse  :  ''  For  the  unbelieving  hus- 
band is  sanctified  by  the  wife,  and  the  unbelieving 
wife  is  sanctified  by  the  husband  :  else  were  your 
children  unclean ;  but  now  are  they  holy." 

Elizabeth.  Does  that  mean  that  the  children 
are  born  holy,  mother  1 

Mother.  The  word  holy  sometimes  means 
morally  pure,  and  sometimes  set  apart  or  conse- 

*  1  Cor.  1 :  16. 


210  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

crated  to  a  sacred  use.  In  this  place,  it  cannot 
mean  morally  pure,  because  that  would  contra- 
dict other  parts  of  the  Bible,  which  represent  us 
all  as  "  by  nature  children  of  wrath."  It  must 
therefore  mean  consecrated  or  set  apart  for  the 
Lord ;  and  that  is  just  what  is  meant  to  be  signi- 
fied by  the  parent,  when  he  presents  his  child  for 
baptism  :  he  consecrates  it  to  the  Lord.  On  the 
supposition  that  infant  baptism  was  practised  by 
the  church  to  whom  Paul  was  writing,  this  pas- 
sage is  easily  understood ;  but  on  any  other  sup- 
position, it  seems  to  me  ta  be  without  any  mean- 
ing. 

Samuel.  But  is  it  not  possible  that  all  the  per- 
sons in  these  three  families  that  were  baptized 
were  grown  up,  and  that  they  all  believed  1' 

Mother.  That  is  possible;  but  there  are  two- 
things  about  it  that  are  not  probable:  1.  That 
there  should  have  been  no  children  in  the  only 
three  families  particularly  mentioned ;  and  2. 
That  every  person  in  these  families,  should  have- 
been  converted.  It  might  have  been  so;  but  this, 
is  not  the  most  natural  way  of  understanding  the 
account.  If  we  knew,  positively,  that  the  primi- 
tive Christians  did  not  baptize  infants,  then  we 
should  be  driven  to  put  this  forced  construction 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  211 

upon  these  passages.  But  on  the  supposition  that 
infant  baptism  was  practised,  the  explanation  is 
natural  and  easy. 

Samuel.  Well,  on  the  whole,  I  am  satisfied. 
I  see  that  it  will  not  do  to  adopt  the  principle  of 
requiring  direct  and  positive  commands  for  every 
thing  we  do ;  for  then  we  might  throw  away  half 
our  religion.  And  when  I  come  to  look  at  the 
matter  fairly,  I  see  that  the  evidence  upon  which 
female  communion,  the  Christian  Sabbath,  and 
infant  baptism  rest,  is  just  the  kind  that  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  case  would  naturally  lead  us 
to  expect.  But  if  baptized  children  are  mem- 
bers of  the  church,  why  are  they  not  admitted  to 
the  communion  ? 

Mother.  Under  the  old  dispensation,  some 
other  qualifications,  besides  being  admitted  into 
the  church  by  circumcision,  were  required,  be- 
fore persons  could  be  admitted  to  all  the  privi- 
leges of  the  church.  They  were  required  to  be 
ceremonially  clean,  in  order  to  partake  of  the 
passover.  So,  we  find,  under  the  new  dispensa- 
tion, that,  in  order  to  be  admitted  to  the  Lord's 
Supper,  we  must  h?ive  faith  to  discern  the  Lord's 
body.  (See  1  Cor.  11 :  29.)  And  as  soon  as  bap- 
tized children  give  evidence  of  such  faith,  they 


212  THE    ANABAFTISTS. 

are  received  into  full  communion,  in  our  church- 
es. 

Peter.     Well,  mother,  did  Menno  get  over  his 
doubts  about  infant  baptism,  at  last? 

Mother.  No ;  he  finally  gave  up  the  doctrine. 
Not  long  after,  he  was  made  rector  of  Witmar- 
sum,  his  native  village.  There  he  preached  much 
from  the  Scriptures;  but  without  being  made 
better  himself  He  was  greatly  troubled  with  the 
disturbances  at  Munster,  and  preached  against 
them.  Yet  he  was  so  much  affected  by  the  ex- 
ample of  the  multitudes  who  sacrificed  themselves 
for  the  interests  of  the  party,  that  he  felt  more 
and  more  distress  and  shame  on  account  of  his 
own  state  of  mind.  He  then  prayed  to  God  to 
help  him ;  and  soon,  he  says,  the  whole  state  of 
his  mind  became  changed.  After  this,  he  says 
he  taught  Christian  piety  much  more  purely  and 
effectually.  At  length,  the  discoveries  which  he 
had  made  of  the  corrupt  state  of  the  church  of 
Rome,  led  him,  in  the  year  1536,  utterly  to  re- 
nounce both  it  and  his  priestly  office.  This  he 
called  his  departure  from  Babylon.  He  then 
openly  united  himself  with  the  Anabaptists.  And 
the  next  year,  he  says,  there  came  to  him  several 
godly  Anabaptists,  and  entreated  him  to  become 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  213 

the  teacher  of  this  despised  and  persecuted  com- 
pany; which  he  consented  to  do.  Bat  he  says 
he  was  called  to  the  office  of  teacher,  neither  by 
the  rebels  of  Munster,  nor  by  any  other  turbu- 
lent party,  but  by  true  professors  of  Christ  and 
his  word,  who  sought  the  salvation  of  all  around 
them,  and  took  up  their  cross.  From  this  time 
till  his  death,  which  was  eighteen  years,  he  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  his  office,  in  the  midst  of 
many  perils  and  discouragements,  poverty  and 
want,  with  his  wife  and  children.  He  travelled 
in  Friesland,  Gelderland,  Holland,  Brabant, 
Westphalia,  and  in  many  other  places,  planting 
and  strengthening  Anabaptist  churches,  or  re- 
ducing them  to  order  and  union.  And  from  him 
the  sect  have  since  been  called  Mennonites. 

Elizabeth.     Did  Menno  teach  the  same  doc- 
trines which  the  Anabaptists  held  before  ? 

Mother.  His  system  of  doctrine  was  much 
milder  and  more  tolerable  than  that  of  the  fanatical 
portion  of  the  Anabaptists;  but  somewhat  harsh- 
er than  that  of  the  more  moderate  portion  of 
them.  He  condemned  the  notion  of  a  new  king- 
dom of  Jesus  Christ,  to  be  set  up  in  the  world  by 
force  of  arms;  and  also  the  mischievous  delusion 
15 


214  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

that  miraculous  gifts  and  prophecy   were  to  be 
restored  to  the  church. 

Samuel.  These  were  the  two  points  of  doc- 
trine which  led  to  all  the  tumults  and  mischief 
raised  by  the  Anabaptists.  I  suppose  then  that 
his  preaching  produced  a  great  change  in  the 
character  of  the  sect. 

Mother.  It  did;  and  from  being  one  of  the 
most  fanatical  and  violent  sects  that  ever  existed, 
they  have  become  a  peaceable  and  inoffensive 
people.  He  also  condemned  the  licentious  opin- 
ions respecting  poligamy  and  divorce,  which  had 
been  embraced  by  the  leaders  of  the  fanatical 
party. 

Elizabeth.  What  doctrines  did  he  teach, 
mother  ? 

Mother.  On  the  subject  of  ba.ptism,  he  taught 
the  doctrine  generally  received  among  the  Bap- 
tists, He  also  taught  that  Christ  would,  before 
the  end  of  the  world,  descend  and  reign  with 
his  people  a  thousand  years  ;  that  magistrates  or 
civil  rulers  are  not  to  be  received  into  the 
church  ;  that  it  is  wrong  to  engage  in  war,  or  to 
take  an  oath,  under  any  circumstances ;  and 
that  human  learning  is  not  only  useless,  but  mis- 
chievous. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  215 

Samuel.  Mother,  1  have  some  difficulties  in 
my  mind  about  the  lawfulness  of  war  and  oaths, 
which  I  should  like  to  have  cleared  up.  Christ 
tells  us  not  to  resist  evil ;  and  if  any  person 
strikes  us  on  one  cheek,  to  turn  to  him  the  oth- 
er also.  How  is  that  consistent  with  going  to 
war  1 

Mother.  Here,  my  son,  you  show  your  want 
of  discrimination.  Christ  was  here  speaking  of 
individuals ;  and  the  general  principle  taught,  is, 
that  we  should  live  quiet  and  peaceable  lives,  and 
not  indulge  a  spirit  of  resentment  of  injuries. 
But  he  had  no  reference  to  the  proper  authorities 
of  government.  In  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  Ro- 
mans, we  are  taught  the  duty  of  obedience  to  the 
lawful  authorities  of  the  government  under  which 
we  live.  The  Apostle  informs  us  that  govern- 
ments are  ordained  of  God ;  that  rulers  are  his 
ministers ;  and  that  they  bear  the  sword  for  the 
punishment  of  evil  doers.  Now  if  God  has  or- 
dained civil  governments,  and  given  them  the 
power  of  punishing  those  who  are  subject  to 
them,  it  must  follow  that  they  have  the  like  au- 
thority of  punishing  those  w^ho  come  from  abroad, 
to  disturb  their  peace,  and  reduce  them  to  foreign 
subjection.     If  we  deny  to  rulers  the  right  of  de- 


216  THE     ANABAPTISTS. 

fending  the  government  against  foreign  invasion, 
and  of  resisting  such  invasion,  even  at  the  ex- 
pense of  blood,  we  must  also  deny  their  right  to 
punish  those  of  their  own  people  who  break  the 
laws  of  the  country.  So  you  see  the  carrying 
out  of  this  principle  vt^ould  overturn  all  govern- 
ment, law,  and  order^  and  introduce  general  an- 
archy and  confusion ;  for  law,  without  a  penalty, 
is  of  no  use;  and  if  we  deny  the  right  of  rulers 
to  take  life,  in  defence  of  the  law,  and  in  execu- 
tion of  its  penalties,  the  punishment  of  offenders 
would  be  out  of  the  question.  But  at  the  same 
time  that  I  believe  God  has  given  civil  govern- 
ments  the  right  of  maintaining  their  authority  by 
force,  both  against  foes  within  and  foes  without, 
I  freely  confess  that  the  spirit  of  war  is  entirely 
at  variance  with  the  spirit  of  Christ ;  and  just  in 
proportion  as  the  principles  of  the  Gospel  take 
effect  in  the  world,  wars  and  contentions  will 
cease.  And  I  do  not  hesitate  to  say,  that  most 
of  the  wars  that  have  prevailed  in  the  world  have 
been  made  to  gratify  the  ambition  or  resentment 
of  wicked  rulers ;  and  1  believe  that  nearly  all 
wars  might  be  prevented  by  a  little  forbearance 
on  the  part  of  the  party  injured. 

Samuel     But  if  war  is  contrary  to  the  spirit  of 


**  THE    ANABAPTISTS.  217 

the  Gospel,  how  could  God  authorize  rulers  to 
engage  in  it? 

Mother.  You  must  recollect,  my  son,  that 
God  has  adapted  his  dispensations  to  the  con- 
dition of  a  fallen  race.  If  man  had  continued 
holy,  as  God  made  him,  defence  and  punishment 
would  not  have  been  needed,  because  every  one 
would  have  been  disposed  to  do  right.  But  hu- 
man governments  are  established  to  meet  the  ne- 
cessities of  a  wicked  world;  and  are  therefore 
armed  with  the  power  to  maintain  their  authori- 
ty, enforce  their  laws,  and  punish  the  lawless  and 
disobedient. 

Samuel.  Well,  mother,  Christ  says  *' Swear 
not  at  all."  How  can  you  get  along  with  that, 
and  maintain  the  lawfulness  of  taking  oaths,  as 
authorized  by  law? 

.  Mother.  The  meaning  of  that  passage  of 
Scripture  has  been  strangely  mistaken.  If  you 
will  read  the  sermon  on  the  mount,  you  will  see 
that  the  design  of  that  part  of  it,  from  the  seven- 
teenth to  the  forty-fourth  verse,  is  to  condemn  the 
method  of  explaining  away  the  law,  adopted  by 
the  Jewish  teachers.  He  begins  by  telling  them 
that  he  came  not  to  destroy  the  law  or  the  proph- 
ets, and  by  declaring,  with  great  solemnity,  that 
15* 


218  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

not  one  jot  or  tittle  should  pass  from  the  law,  till 
all  should  be  fulfilled.  He  then  goes  on  to  shew 
the  spirituality  of  the  law;  that  it  applied  to  the 
thoughts  of  the  heart,  as  well  as  to  outward  ac- 
tions. He  then  takes  up  the  perversions  of  the 
law,  which  had  been  introduced  by  the  Jews; 
and  among  others,  the  subject  of  swearing.  He 
refers  to  the  law,  in  which  they  were  forbiddeu 
to  swear  falsely ;  for  that  is  the  meaning  of  for- 
swear. 

Elizabeth.  Where  is  the  saying  to  which  he 
refers,  mother? 

Mother.  In  the  nineteenth  chapter  of  Leviti- 
cus, and  twelfth  verse,  the  Lord  says,  ''  And  ye 
shall  not  swear  by  my  name  falsely,  neither  shalt 
thou  profane  the  name  of  thy  God."  In  the  thir- 
tieth chapter  of  Numbers,  it  is  written,  "  If  a 
man  vow  a  vow  unto  the  Lord,  or  swear  an  oath 
to  bind  his  soul  with  a  bond,  he  shall  not  break 
his  word,  he  shall  do  according  to  all  that  pro- 
ceedeth  out  of  his  mouth."  But  if  there  had 
been  no  case  in  which  they  were  allowed  to  take 
an  oath,  instead  of  forbidding  them  to  swear 
falsely,  he  would  have  forbidden  them  to  swear 
at  all. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  219 

Samuel.     Well,  does  not  Christ  forbid  them  to 
swear  at  all? 

Mother.  You  break  off  his  sentence  before  he 
has  finished  it ;  which  makes  it  mean  more  than 
he  intended.  The  Jewish  Rabbins,  or  doctors  of 
the  law,  taught  that  people  might  swear  by  any 
thing  but  the  name  of  God,  and  their  oaths  would 
not  be  binding;  and  they  had,  accordingly,  in- 
troduced a  number  of  oaths,  in  common  conversa- 
tion, such  as  swearing  by  the  temple,  by  the 
head,  by  heaven,  by  the  earth,  &c.  This  you 
will  see,  by  reading  from  the  sixteenth  to  the 
twenty-third  verse  of  the  twenty-third  chapter  of 
Matthew.  The  same  fact  also  appears  from  the 
ancient  writings  of  the  Jewish  rabbins.  It  was 
evidently  against  this  practice  of  profane  swear- 
ing, that  our  Savior  was  directing  his  discourse. 
And  if  you  will  read  the  whole  sentence,  you  will 
see  that  the  word  all  is  qualified  by  what  follows  : 
''  Swear  not  at  all :  neither  by  heaven  ;  for  it  is 
God's  throne :  nor  by  the  earth;  for  it  is  his  foot- 
stool," &c.  As  if  he  had  said,  "  I  not  only  tell 
you  not  to  swear  falsely ;  but  I  say  unto  you, 
swear  not  at  all,  by  heaven,  earth,  Jerusalem,  or 
any  other  such  profane  oaths  as  ye  are  in  the 


220  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

habit  of  using ;  for  this  is,  in  effect,  to  swear  by 
the  name  of  the  Lord."  He  evidently  had  no 
reference  here  to  oaths  taken  in  a  court  of  jus- 
tice ;  but  to  the  foolish  and  wicked  practice  of 
swearing  in  private  conversation.  But  he  did 
not,  himself,  refuse  to  take  an  oath  in  a  court  of 
justice.  When  he  was  on  his  trial  before  the 
Sanhedrim,  the  high  priest  said  to  him,  "  I  ad- 
jure thee,  by  the  living  God,  that  thou  tell  us 
whether  thou  be  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  God." 

Peter.     Was  that  an  oath,  mother  ? 

Mother.  Yes,  any  form  of  words,  by  which 
we  call  God  to  witness  the  truth  of  what  we  say, 
is  an  oath.  I  suppose  this  was  the  form  by  which 
persons  were  put  under  oath  among  the  Jews. 
But  the  Lord  Jesus  did  not,  like  the  Quakers, 
refuse  to  answer,  under  oath.*  The  Apostle 
Paul,  also,  often  calls  God  to  witness  the  truth  of 
what  he  says ;  and  that  is  all  that  is  n)eant  by  an 
oath.f  But  if  you  examine  the  law  of  Moses, 
you  will  find  that  judicial  oaths  were  required  to 
be  taken  :f  and  we  have  just  seen  how  solemnly 
Christ  declared  that  he  came  not  to  destroy  the 
law. 

»  Mat.  26  :  63,  64.  f  Eom.  1 :  9.  9 :  1.    Gal.  1 :  20. 

JSee  Exod.  22:  II.    Ley.  5:1.    Num.  5:19.   Deut.  29  :  12, 14. 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  221 

Elizabeth.  Was  Menno  able  to  convince  the 
Anabaptists  that  they  had  been  wrong  in  those 
doctrines  which  he  rejected? 

Mother.  I  suppose  their  defeat,  and  the  dan- 
gers that  threatened  them,  weakened  their  con- 
fidence in  those  doctrines  which  had  led  them  to 
rebel  against  the  government.  But  however  that 
may  be,  Menno  soon  gained  over  most  of  the 
Anabaptists  to  his  views,  and  greatly  increased 
their  numbers. 

Caroline.  Are  there  any  Mennonites  now, 
mother  1 

Mother.  Yes ;  the  sect  is  very  numerous  in 
Germany,  at  the  present  day ;  and  I  believe  there 
are  some  settlements  of  them  in  this  country. 
They  have,  at  different  periods,  separated  into 
parties,  and  there  are  now  several  distinct  sects 
of  Mennonites.  But  it  is  not  necessary  to  follow 
out  their  history  any  farther. — We  have  now  had 
a  long  conversation.  I  will  tell  you  but  one 
thing  more,  and  then  we  will  leave  the  subject 
for  the  present.  But  what  I  am  going  to  relate, 
is  a  painful  event. 

Elizabeth.     What  is  it,  mother  ? 

Mother.  It  is  the  death  of  the  good  Elector  of 
Saxony.     And  after  so  long  an  acquain#ince,   I 


222  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

must  confess  I  shall  part  with  him  with  a  sad 
heart. 

Elizabeth.  O  yes,  I  shall  too,  mother  ;  for  I 
do  \o\e  that  prince.     When  did  he  die  1 

3Iother.  He  died  on  the  fifth  of  May,  1525, 
about  ten  days  before  the  defeat  of  Munzer. 
Only  three  days  before  his  death,  he  wrote  a  let- 
ter to  his  brother  John,  to  do  all  he  could  to  set- 
tle the  disturbances  without  shedding  blood.  He 
told  him  to  choose  persons  to  decide  what  should 
be  done,  who  were  good  men,  and  favorites  of  the 
people ;  and  to  pardon  the  multitude,  and  punish 
only  the  leaders  of  the  rebellion.  He  was  strong- 
ly impressed  with  the  belief  that  these  disturb- 
ances were  the  judgments  of  heaven,  on  account 
of  the  hindrances  which  had  been  thrown  in  the 
way  of  the  preaching  of  the  Gospel ;  and  he  la- 
mented the  oppression  of  the  people,  in  various 
ways.  A  short  time  before  his  death,  he  called 
his  servants  around  him,  and  addressed  them  in 
the  following  manner  :  "  I  entreat  you,  my  dear- 
est children,  in  the  name  of  God,  and  for  his 
sake,  to  forgive  me,  if  I  have  offended  any  of  you 
in  word  or  deed ;  and  to  make,  in  my  name,  the 
same  request  for  me  to  others.  We  princes  are 
apt  to  tifeat  our  poor  distressed  subjects  in  a  vex- 


THE    ANABAPTISTS.  223 

atious  and  unjustifiable  manner."  His  devout 
and  affectionate  expressions  drew  tears  from 
Spalatinus,  and  all  present.  Although,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  Reformation,  he  was  a  zealous 
Roman  Catholic,  he  appears,  before  his  death,  to 
have  been  thoroughly  weaned  from  Popery.  In 
his  last  will,  he  says,  "I  beseech  Almighty  God, 
through  the  sacred  and  unexampled  merits  of  his 
Son,  to  pardon  all  my  sins  and  transgressions^ 
neither  do  I  doubt  but  that,  by  the  precious  death 
of  my  dear  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus  Christ,  I  shall 
obtain  forgiveness;  and  therefore,  into  his  all- 
powerful  hands,  and  to  his  eternal,  immeasurable, 
unsearchable,  kindness  and  compassion,  I  com- 
mit my  soul,  to  be  preserved  for  the  enjoyment  of 
a  happy  immortality.  I  freely  forgive  all  who 
have  done  me  any  wrong ;  and  I  beseech  them, 
in  the  name  of  God,  and  for  his  sake,  to  pardon, 
from  the  heart,  and  with  a  true  Christian  chari- 
ty, me,  in  whatever  I  may  have  offended  them, 
agreeably  to  what  we  every  day  pray  for,  the 
mutual  forgiveness  of  trespasses  from  God,  the 
Father  of  Compassion."  By  the  advice  of  Lu- 
ther and  Melancthon,  he  was  buried  without 
pomp,  and  without  any  superstitious  ceremonies. 
Melancthon  made  an  oration  in  Latin,  and  Lu- 


224  THE    ANABAPTISTS. 

ther  preached  a  sermon,  at  his  funeral.  Before 
his  death,  he  invited  Luther  to  meet  him,  for  the 
purpose  of  consulting  how  he  might  more  openly 
support  the  reformed  religion  in  Saxony.  But 
this  meeting  was  prevented,  By  the  absence  of 
the  Reformer,  who  was  preaching  to  the  rebel- 
lious peasants  in  Thuringia, 

aUESTLONS. 

Can  you  give  an  account  of  the  proceedings  of  Rlunzer  ?  vVhat 
became  of  liim  at  last?  Who  stirred  up  sedition  again  ?  Can  you 
give  an  account  of  their  proceedings  at  Munster,  and  of  the  final 
overthrow  of  the  "  King  of  Sion  ?"  What  happened  at  the  same 
time,  at  Amsterdam  ?  How  came  Menno  to  join  the  Anabaptists? 
What  service  did  he  do  for  the  sect  ?  Can  you  give  an  account  of 
the  death  of  Frederic  ? 


